The Daughter of Itachi
by LoveWasOurs
Summary: The story of Itachi's daughter, whom he left to a friend in Takigakure before annihilating the Uchiha clan.
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

The river churned, crashing against the shore down below. The night sky had fallen over the village of Konoha and the moon was full and shined bright above the sky. The pitter-pattering of freshly falling rain sounded around him. The night sky was beautiful, even with the gray storm clouds staining the nearly black painting of the sky. The moon shined brilliantly. But there was only one thing he could see. And that was the beautiful violet eyes of the girl in front of him. She grinned a toothless grin and wrapped his stubby hands around his fingers. Despite the falling rain and the storm brewing in and outside of his body, he always felt at peace while she was near. She was like a gorgeous flower that continued to bloom in the disaster of a tornado. She would never comprehend what would happen in the very near future. And he could never imagine letting her comprehend it. He leaned against the tree trunk behind him, lifting her tiny body in his hands and setting her on his lap. He kissed her forehead adoringly, letting her squeeze his fingers as he did so. She was becoming so pretty; it only broke his heart even more, knowing he wouldn't be able to see her precious little face anymore. He bit his lip, squeezing his eyes closed. Shinobi didn't cry.

"Yoshi," he murmured, cradling her in his arms, "I love you."

She blinked hard before her little smile faded. She reached up and gently touched his face, pouting. She traced his frown. The corners of her lips pulled down into a frown to match his and tears welled in her eyes. He kissed her forehead again, giving her a gentle squeeze.

"Pretty girl," he murmured, getting to his feet, "Don't cry. You'll be at peace soon."

The existence of this beautiful child was unknown and he intended to keep it that way. If her existence was discovered, it would only cause problems. Especially knowing what he had to do in a few days. He knew that in this cursed world of his, there was only one possible solution. She had to be plucked from this world and placed in another. He wanted to take her as far from here as possible. He didn't want her to entwine with his world and his troubles and problems at all. He didn't even want her to see the problems hanging over his shoulders. With his lover and Yoshi's mother dying after the birth of this special girl, and the cruel, terrible things he had to do in the near future. He didn't want her to witness so much bloodshed. He didn't want the scent of death to reach her lungs. He didn't want her reality to be tarnished with his doing. As he began to leap from tree branch to tree branch, his gaze fell on Yoshi in his arms. Her eyes were closed and she was fast asleep already. Within the few months since she was born, he'd become attached to her. Considering his situation, that was no good. He needed to be able to let go. He bit his lip.

"Yoshi," he sighed, "If only you were old enough to let me explain to you why I'm doing this, I would. I love you and I always will. No matter how far apart this cruel world will take us, you will always be in my heart."

Yoshi hiccupped in her sleep, curling up in his arms. She slid her thumb into her mouth and nibbled on it. His heart raced in his chest. He didn't want to give her away. He didn't want anybody to be able to hold her and love her except for him. But he knew that wasn't how things would work out. This girl; his most prized possession was being ripped from his life. And it hurt.


	2. Chapter One

**Chapter One**

"Yoshi!"

The thick fall of Yoshi's straight black hair fell over her violet eyes as she rummaged through her things. She felt her heart beginning to race. It was missing; the shinobi forehead protector she had received just the day before was gone. And she knew that Ayame would want to see her before she left. She bit her lip, tossing her clothing around the room in search of it. She felt a bit panicked when Ayame's footsteps began approaching her bedroom.

"Yoshi," her voice sounded, muffled through the door, "Are you ready yet? You're going to be late."

"Almost," Yoshi called back, "I'll be out in a second."

The door slid open. "Yoshi," she sighed, "What the hell have you been doing in here?"

"I'm sorry," Yoshi said, "I can't find my forehead protector."

Ayame rolled her eyes, lifting her hand to reveal that Yoshi's forehead protector was lying on her palm. "This one?" she sighed, stepping closer and Yoshi stood up straight, "Honestly, sometimes I wonder about you." Once she was within arm's reach, she pressed the forehead protector against her forehead so that the Takigakure symbol was visible to anybody who could see her face. Yoshi reached behind her head and tied it on underneath her hair. Ayame's eyes softened immediately and the corners of her lips pulled up into a smile. "I still remember when I first became a shinobi," she said softly, "That was probably the best day of my life."

"Why did you retire so early if being a shinobi made you so happy?" Yoshi asked.

Ayame sighed, turning away before saying gently, "I gave up my shinobi life to raise you, Yoshi."

"But why?" Yoshi said.

"You're my _sister_, that's why," Ayame said before quickly exiting the room.

That was the reason Ayame always gave but it wasn't what Yoshi intended to ask. She constantly wondered whatever happened to their parents. She sighed before hurrying outside, feverish to start her first day as a shinobi. She dashed through the village, unable to hide the grin on her face. The grassy terrain under her feet hardly made a sound as her feet pounded against it. She knew Takigakure wasn't considered a strong village, but she believed in it. She slowed when she reached the academy where she was expected to meet with her new team. She entered slowly and pinpointed the classroom where her teammates would be. She peered inside. There they were; Minori and Akio.

Akio Suzuki was often quiet. He was well disciplined and he spent a lot of time with his family. Although he had lots of friends and was one of the best of the class, he didn't seem like the supportive type. But then again, she didn't know him all too well. Minori Takahashi on the other hand was very popular. He wasn't the best student, although we all knew that was because he didn't put forth his best abilities. He was nice to just about everybody and he was the heartthrob of the class. Yoshi thought of him as nothing more than a friend, however.

"Hi, Yoshi," Minori said as she entered.

"Hey," she responded, taking a seat on one of the tables, "Is our sensei here yet?"

"Nope," Minori said, "Not unless he's hiding. He should be here soon, though."

"Actually, I _am_ hiding," a feminine voice said from the back of the room. It seemed as if she appeared from thin air, but there she was. "Hi there, students," she said, "I was just waiting for the three of you to arrive. Now that you're here, I should probably tell you my name. I'm Mari Sasaki, and I'll be your teacher." She slowly ascended towards them. "Before you introduce yourselves to me," Mari said, "I want to take you to where our first lesson will be."

•••

Yoshi plopped down on the grass, panting. She still couldn't hide the grin on her face.

"Yoshi," Mari said from behind her, "Your taijutsu and ninjutsu are incredible for a Genin just out of the academy."

Yoshi smiled. "Thank you, Mari-sensei," she said, gratefully.

"Yoshi," Mari said, "Can you turn and look at me for a second?" Yoshi did as she was told and gazed up at her sensei. Mari studied her closely. "Hm," Mari said, "I feel like I've seen your face before."

"Oh," Yoshi said, "Maybe you've seen me around the village."

"No, that's not it, I'm sure," Mari said, "I _know_ I've seen your face before... but I can't remember when."

Yoshi shrugged. "I don't know," she said.

Mari sighed, taking a seat beside her. "Are you related to Ayame?"

Yoshi smiled and nodded. "Yes, she's my sister."

Mari chuckled. "Ayame... she was always a troublesome girl but at the same time she was so sweet. She's the type of girl you just want to be around, you know?"

"Well I spend everyday with her and I can assure you that that feeling doesn't wear off."

Mari smiled. Yoshi gazed out in front of her. The grassy terrain stretched out ahead. Trees were spotty in this area. Ahead the forest melted into the bright blue sky with white smudges of clouds. A smile stretched over her face. She loved this village. She couldn't think of anywhere she'd rather be. Her heart felt warm. She suddenly felt a different chakra come over her. It felt strange. Was it foreign? She gazed around slowly, scanning her surroundings. She couldn't see anybody else around besides for Akio and Minori still training. She gazed up at Mari. Mari didn't seem to feel it. Maybe it was just her imagination.


	3. Chapter Two

**Chapter Two**

Yoshi cleared her throat. What if it wasn't just her imagination? What if someone was really there?

"Excuse me," she said quietly as she got to her feet. Mari nodded once, dismissing Yoshi.

Yoshi's gait towards the forest's brim was slow. She felt a bit frightened but she suppressed it quickly. Fear wouldn't lead her to becoming the great shinobi that she wanted to become. She held her breath as she entered the dark shelter of the entangled tree branches above her. She stalked through it, gazing around. She felt someone's presence behind her. She spun around. Her gaze found a man. He was standing on the tree branch, his hand delicately touching the truck of the tree. His long black hair was bound back into a low ponytail. His fearful eyes shined a bright red. Although they were so frightening, she could see an adoring hint in them as he gazed at her. She swallowed her numb fear. That was when she realized something. If her fear was numb, was it really there at all? Why wasn't she afraid? In fact, she felt happy. She knew that face from somewhere.

"Who are you?" she attempted to snap but her voice came out breathy and quiet.

He bit his lip before disappearing. Yoshi stood there frozen. What was that feeling? She felt as if she knew him. She felt as if she knew him well; as if she could entrust him with her entire life. She couldn't calm her racing heart. It was only then did she realize that the others had been calling her name.

"Yoshi!" Minori's voice said, "Where are you?"

"Oh," Yoshi said stepping out of the forest's shelter, "I'm right here."

He jogged towards her. "Yoshi," he said, "We're done training. What were you doing in there?"

"Nothing," she said quickly, "I was just looking around. I haven't been out here before."

"Neither have I," Minori said, "But hey, do you want to get something to eat with me? I'll buy it."

She smiled. "That's very nice of you," she said, gratefully, "But I'm sorry, there's something I want to talk to Ayame about."

"Oh," Minori said, "That's alright. Take care, Yoshi." He turned and began walking in the opposite direction.

"You too," she called back.

•••

Yoshi sat down in front of Ayame, nibbling on her lip.

"What was it that you wanted to tell me?" Ayame said.

"I saw someone today," she said, "I swear I know his face from somewhere."

"It was a man?" Ayame said, suddenly tensing, "What did he look like?"

"He had long black hair that was in a ponytail," she explained, "He had... these bright red eyes."

Ayame's jaw clenched and she looked away from Yoshi. "He said he'd stay away," she mumbled to herself.

"What?" Yoshi said, "Do you know him?"

Ayame's gaze met Yoshi's before she looked away. "Did he leave?" she asked.

"Yes," Yoshi said, "He's gone."

Ayame sighed, getting to her feet. She slowly walked towards the window and gazed out. "Oh," she said, "I'm sure he's still around here somewhere."

"Should we tell someone about this?" Yoshi said.

"No," Ayame said, "He's not a threat. He won't hurt anybody here, especially not you."

"But why?" Yoshi said.

Ayame gazed out of the window, blankly studying the scenery outside. An eager silence settled in. Ayame sighed again, setting her elbow on the window seal, holding her cheek in the palm of her hand.

"He's just too caring," she said quietly, "It's going end up getting him killed one of these days."

"Who is he?" Yoshi said, "Why does he care about me?"

Ayame shook her head. "Yoshi," she said softly, "There are some things about yourself that you don't know. But you don't know for your safety. Just forget about it, honey. If you can feel him near you, then just ignore it. He won't hurt you or anybody in Taki."

"I've never seen him before in my life," she said, "Why would he care about me at all?"

"Yoshi," Ayame murmured, "I believe you and I are the only ones who've really seen what kind of man that man can be."

"I have?" Yoshi said.

"Although you probably don't remember," Ayame said, "I still remember that day like it was just yesterday."

"What day?" Yoshi said.

Ayame stayed silent. She took a deep breath after a few silent moments before swallowing. "I promised I wouldn't tell you," she said softly.

"Why?" she asked, "Tell me what?"

"I want to tell you, believe me," she said, "But he's the kind of guy who keeps everything to himself. He doesn't want you to know and he trusted that I wouldn't tell you. I'm sorry."

"Can you at least tell me his name?" Yoshi asked.

"Fine," Ayame said, spinning to face her, "Listen and remember this name. Remember his face as well. I'm sure you're going to see him or hear of him again. His name is Itachi. Itachi Uchiha."

"Itachi... Uchiha?" she said, "The name doesn't even sound familiar to me. Of what significance is he to me?"

"To you," she said, her voice softening as she turned around to gaze out the window again, "To you and to me... he's everything."

"But... why?" she asked.

"Let me tell you," she said, "Next time you see him again, ask him. I'm sure he'll break down and tell you eventually."

Yoshi gazed at Ayame. There was so much emotion in her tone of voice. She continued to gaze out the window, her eyes soft and glazed over. Yoshi got to her feet. It seemed like a good time to leave Ayame alone now. She turned and slowly began to walk out of the room.

"Yoshi," Ayame said as she left, "Next time you see him... let me know, okay?"

Yoshi nodded. "I will," she said.

"Thank you," Ayame murmured as Yoshi closed the door. She took a deep breath.

Who was that man? Why was he everything, through Ayame's eyes? If what he did to impact their lives was such a long time ago, why was it so important now? Nibbling on her lip, Yoshi unconsciously approached the door that led outside. She opened it and began walking, closing it behind her. She walked slowly towards the sushi shop, where she guessed Minori would be. She couldn't talk to him about this but he would at least buy her lunch and Ayame hadn't given her any money to buy anything. Her gaze found the sushi shop ahead. Minori was sitting alone. She guessed Akio had gone home to eat with his family. She approached him slowly but once he was within arms reach, she tapped his shoulder.

"Minori," she said when he turned, "Can I sit with you?"

"Yeah sure," he said, "I'll buy you something if you want me to."

"Really?" she said, taking the seat across from him, "Thank you."

He nodded once. "So," he said, "Did you think today was just as fun as I did?"

"Yeah," she said, "I think my skills really improved today."

"Me too," he said, "Yoshi, your body strength is so good. What do you do?"

She blushed and shrugged. "I guess I was just made like this," she said.

"It's interesting," Minori said, leaning back in his seat, "Who are your parents?"

Yoshi's smile faded and her gaze fell to her hands on the table in front of her. "Oh," she said, "I don't know."

"You don't know?" Minori said, "Oh, I'm sorry."

"It's fine," she said, shaking her head, "Don't be sorry, it's not your fault."

The waitress approached their table. "What would you like to order?"

•••

Yoshi curled up in her bed, the blanket pulled up over her shoulders. Her gaze was fixed outside through the window. She could see him. She could see the gleam of his red eyes against the bright moonlight. She didn't feel scared although she knew he was watching her. She trusted Ayame and if Ayame told her not to worry about him then she wouldn't worry about him. But something inside felt uneasy; like he shouldn't be there. At the same time, though, she wanted him to stay. She felt safe. Her eyelids became heavy the longer she gazed at him. She blinked hard until her eyes finally closed and she easily drifted off into a deep sleep.


	4. Chapter Three

**Chapter Three**

Yoshi's eyes flickered open the next morning. She climbed out of bed, her body feeling heavy. She washed up and changed before tying on her forehead protector. Tiredly, she approached the closed door of her bedroom. Suddenly, she could hear Ayame speaking. She stepped closer to the door and listened. Nobody else should be here at this early hour. The only reason she was awake was to train. And the only people that lived in this home were Ayame and Yoshi. Yoshi leaned forward, listening closely to try to make out words from what Ayame was saying.

"I did everything you asked me to do," Ayame's voice said quietly, "I just want you to do one thing for me."

"I'm sorry," another deep voice responded to her, "You don't want to get involved with me, Ayame."

"Itachi!" Ayame said. Yoshi held her breath, cracking open the door silently and peeking out. The man Yoshi saw in the tree was standing in front of Ayame. Ayame visibly took a deep breath. "Yoshi's sleeping," she said, "Don't make me yell."

"I told you," he said, looking away, "Don't get involved."

"You're the one who dragged me into this, Itachi," Ayame said, "Yoshi's a pleasure but I never had to take her in."

Itachi sighed. "Ayame," he said, "You don't understand how grateful I am for that. But please stop saying things you don't mean."

"But I do mean it, Itachi," Ayame said, her voice beginning to crack, "I'm begging you." She squeezed his shirt over his chest and drew closer to him. "Please... just take me. Kiss me."

Itachi gazed at her intently as if he was considering it before his gaze wandered and landed directly on Yoshi. Yoshi held her breath again, frightened. Ayame didn't seem to notice.

"I love you, Itachi," she murmured, "Ever since the night we met... I've been head over heals for you."

"Yoshi," Itachi said, continuing to gaze at her.

Ayame's gaze followed his before she quickly withdrew from him. She bit her lip, gazing up at Itachi.

"I must go," Itachi said quickly, "Thank you for everything, Ayame." He quickly disappeared.

Ayame's gaze found Yoshi again. Tears welled in her eyes before she dropped to the floor in tears. Yoshi opened the door slowly. She crept out towards Ayame, pondering over what just occurred. What were they talking about? Ayame took Yoshi in? She was her sister, though. That's what she'd been told her whole life. Feeling numb, she knelt down beside Ayame, wrapping her arms around her shoulders. Ayame's head fell on Yoshi's shoulder as she continued to sob. It lasted for a few long moments before Ayame, teary eyed, lifted her gaze to Yoshi.

"How much did you hear?" she asked quietly.

"I heard enough," Yoshi said honestly.

Ayame's pretty smile broke through here tears and she sighed, resting her head on Yoshi's shoulder again. "I have a lot of explaining to do, don't I?" she said.

"Well I expect to know what all that was about," Yoshi said, "But if you want to tell me when you're ready to, it's okay."

"Thank you, Yoshi," Ayame said softly, "You're the best _sister_ ever."

Yoshi smiled.

•••

Yoshi downed her water, watching Akio and Minori go at it again. She could feel Mari watching from behind her as well.

"You were a little off today," Mari said, "Although your skills are ahead of Minori's and Akio's and you're still a challenge, I had to lower my standards a little bit to fight you. Plus you struggled a little bit against them. Is something wrong?"

"Oh, no," Yoshi said, plastering a fake smile on her face, "I'm fine, really. I'm just a little tired. I woke up early today."

Mari chuckled. "Honey," she said, "Do you expect me to believe that?"

Yoshi widened her smile, saying nicely, "It's the truth, sensei."

After a short silence, Mari sighed. "You're one good liar," she said, "I guess you don't want to tell me yet. Oh well. Gather the boys and meet me here in a few hours. Eat up and rest because I have a list of D-rank missions for you guys."

Yoshi nodded once. "Yes, ma'am," she said obediently. Mari disappeared and Yoshi turned to face Minori and Akio. "Hey guys," she called. When they didn't respond, she stepped closer. "Hey guys!"

Minori's gaze found her just in time to be hit by Akio's punch. He fell to the floor and Akio burst out laughing. A small smile on her face, Yoshi knelt down beside him. "Are you okay?" she asked gently.

He nodded, sitting up. "Yeah, thanks," he said to her before turning to Akio, "That was a cheap shot! I wasn't looking!"

"You don't look away during battle," Akio said, "No matter what girls are on the sidelines."

"Both of you, hush," Yoshi said, "We're allowed to have a break."

"Oh," Akio said, "When should we be back?"

"A few hours," Yoshi said.

"Alright," he said, "I'll go check in with my family then."

"Okay," she said, "Have fun." Akio turned and began heading towards the village.

Yoshi helped Minori to his feet. "You okay?" she said.

"Yeah," he said, "Do you want to just walk around for a while?"

"Yeah, sure," she said.

"Let's explore the forest," he said, "I haven't been in there yet."

"Alright," she said beginning to walk, "It's just a regular old forest, though."

"I know," he said, "I like walking in forests, though." He walked ahead of her towards the forest, glancing back every once in a while to make sure she was following.

"Minori," she said, "I don't think this is a good idea."

"Why not?" he said, "It's just a forest. Are you scared?"

"No," she said, "I'm not scared. I'm just... worried."

"That's not right," he said, "Don't worry. Worrying is like being scared of something that hasn't happened yet."

Yoshi followed behind him silently. She could feel someone in the forest. She was only worried that it would be Itachi. Yoshi quickened her pace to walk at Minori's side. She gazed around, alertly. Minori was admiring the beautiful surrounding that the forest had to offer. Yoshi's hands clenched to fists. She could tell it wasn't Itachi. She couldn't recognize the chakra, however.

Yoshi hadn't even realized it had come so close until Minori gasped and fell to the floor. Wide-eyed, Yoshi's gaze lifted. It was a man. He was wearing a long black cloak with red clouds on it here and there. He had long blonde hair and half of it was pulled up. He smirked, gazing at Minori on the ground.

"Damn Takigakure," he muttered, "They wouldn't be considered so weak if they knew how to train their Genin."

Yoshi pulled out a kunai, lifting up Minori and sliding back all within one quick moment. She kept her gaze on the man as she set Minori down on the ground, stepping in front of his limp self. She held up her kunai in a fighting position. The man laughed.

"Hey now," he said, smirking, "You're fast for a Taki Genin. But still... this should be no trouble."

With a quickness, Yoshi unraveled her balled fist and pinned the paper bomb she had in her hand on the kunai. She threw it at him within the same moment. In the smoke, she sent out a clone from behind him. She dashed towards him as quickly as she could. He looked unprepared. Now was her chance. She leaped towards him from either side, infusing chakra into her fists as she aimed towards him. Her attack finally hit. He had to have been crushed by that attack. His expression remained unchanged as he dissolved into clay and fell to the floor. Yoshi gazed at the clay piled on the ground with wide-eyes. She felt something gently touch her shoulder. She lifted her gaze. It was a bird made out of clay.

Before she could react, he said, "Lesson number one... don't _ever_ take your eyes off of your opponent."

She leaped away from it just before it exploded. Although she wasn't dead, she wasn't out of reach of the explosion. She landed on the ground, her entire body burning. She panted, grasping handfuls of the dirt on the ground. Her hands and knees could hardly part her body from the ground. She felt his foot on her back before he forced her down on to the ground. Her face buried in the dirt.

"Lesson number two," he said, "It was a bad choice to be trained by Taki Jounin. Why? Because I guarantee they're just as bad as you are." He chuckled again and she listened as he pulled out a kunai. "Want to hear my third lesson before I finish you off? You should at least die with decent battle knowledge." Yoshi struggled in his grasp, fighting off the searing pain of the burns all over her body. She could hardly breathe. "Alright," he said, "I guess I'll give you lesson number three. I have to hurry up and get that Chomei." He dug his foot deeper into her back and she felt the blade of his kunai brushing against the side of her neck. "Lesson number three..." His voice seemed to reach her in slow motion. Was she really going to die here? She was only twelve. Was it necessary to kill her?

The next voice she heard wasn't the man's, she knew that for sure.

"Lesson number three... hurt Yoshi and you'll die."


	5. Chapter Four

**Chapter Four**

The man's grip on her loosened but she still couldn't break free. She was frozen to place however, her mind struggling to recognize the other voice but then at the same time she knew it so well. Her mind told her it was Itachi but she needed to see it to be able to believe it.

"Hm?" the man said, "This runt's name is Yoshi? Itachi, what are you doing protecting a little Taki Genin?"

"Put the kunai on the ground," Itachi instructed, "And get off of her before I kill you." It was silent for a few moments but the man remained unmoving. "Don't test me, Deidara."

The man still didn't move. "Test you?" Deidara said, "Who said you could kill me?"

Yoshi could feel the man knocked off of her too quickly for her to even anticipate it. She felt herself being gathered in someone's arms. She blinked away the blur in her gaze. The burns on her body continued to sting. She opened her eyes and gazed up at Itachi. He avoided her gaze, his fixed on Deidara, lying on the ground still.

"You're betraying us?" Deidara said, "For that _girl_? Wait until Nagato hears about this."

"It's not a betrayal," Itachi said, beginning to turn away slowly as he spoke, "I simply have something I want to protect." He began to walk in the opposite direction, leaving Deidara lying in the dirt behind him. Suddenly, he began to run so fast, it seemed as if he was flying. Yoshi held on tightly, ignoring her complaining burns. When he began to slow, she realized they were hidden behind her home. He set her down on her feet, turning away the second he did so.

"Wait," Yoshi said, "Please tell me who you are! Ayame told me your name but she wouldn't tell me anything else. I _have _to know."

He glanced back at her. He sighed, without saying anything else. She struggled to continue standing but she forced herself to, her gaze hard on him. It was silent for a few long moments before the window slid open behind her.

"Yoshi!" Ayame's voice said, worriedly as she leaped out of the window and rushed over, "Oh, dear, what happened?"

Yoshi continued to gaze at Itachi as Ayame forced her to lay down on the ground.

"Itachi," Ayame stammered as she knelt down beside Yoshi, "Do you know what happened?"

"I got burned," Yoshi said, wincing as she touched the cold floor, "It was an explosion. It was in a fight. Don't worry about it."

"Oh well," Ayame said, "I was a medical ninja before. Let's see if I still have it."

She held her hands over Yoshi's stomach where the wounds were the worst. Itachi turned to face them, stepping towards them. Ayame seemed mesmerized by him. He stopped on Yoshi's other side. Ayame quickly reached up her hands and took his wrists.

"Are you leaving?" she asked.

"Soon," he responded.

"No," she said, "Stay. Please."

He sighed and knelt down on Yoshi's other side. Ayame had a content look on her face as she held her hands over Yoshi's wounds until they glowed blue. Yoshi's eyelids began to feel heavy. Her gaze wandered away from Ayame and found Itachi. He was gazing at Ayame with affection visible in his eyes. She was preoccupied with healing her wounds that she hadn't even realized it. If he felt like that towards her, why was he constantly pushing her away? The weight on her eyelids grew consistently until she couldn't manage to keep them open.

•••

Ayame gave Yoshi one last glance as she reached for the doorknob. She'd managed to heal all of Yoshi's wounds to the point where they were no longer dangerous and now she was sleeping. She slipped out of Yoshi's room, closing the door behind her. She lifted her gaze and found Itachi leaning against the back window. He wanted to leave. Her heart ached. She knew that she could give him all she had to offer and everything he could want from a woman. She could give him all of her love and expect nothing in return; all he had to do was accept it. But that was the one thing he refused to do.

"Itachi," she murmured, "Please don't go."

Itachi continued to gaze at the floor, his arms crossed over his chest and one ankle over the other. She approached him slowly, her feet silent against the wooden floors. Her breathing increased as she drew close to him. His expression remained unchanged.

"Itachi," she said softly, reaching out and taking two handfuls of his shirt, "Why won't you just take me? Take me, just this once. And I'll never bother you to do it again. You don't ever even have to look at me again. You can keep watching Yoshi from a distance like you did before. Just this once... please."

Itachi stayed silent, but his gaze slowly lifted from her feet to her face. His gaze was so gentle and warm she could have melted at his feet. She felt her knees trembling as she gazed directly into his eyes. Was he finally considering? He leaned towards her, his eyes hardening slightly. What was that look on his face? His lips gently met her cheek and her face flushed. His warm hands clasped around hers on his chest and gently pried them off. He entwined his fingers with hers. Ayame pulled her face away from his lips and gazed at him before leaning forward and forcing her lips to his. He cooperated without question. His lips against hers numbed her entire body. All she could feel was her heart pounding so hard in her chest that she could feel her chest moving. His hands slipped away from hers and took hold of her waist, bringing her closer. She wrapped her arms around his neck, increasing the passion escaping her lips. She could feel the deep happiness welling up inside of her. She managed to force herself to pull away her lips. She held herself close to him still so that she could feel his warm breath on her face. She smiled before turning away.

"Itachi," she said, "Let's go to my room. Yoshi won't hear us there."

He reached out from behind her and took her hand. She squeezed it, leading him to the other side of her home where her bedroom was. She closed the door and locked it so that Yoshi couldn't try to spy. She felt Itachi snatch her up from behind and he carried her to the bed, lying her down. She couldn't get the smile off of her face, knowing she would never ever forget this. He got on top of her, kissing her neck.

"Itachi," she murmured, "Thank you."

"No," he said quietly, "Don't say thank you. This is my thank you gift to you."

•••

Yoshi sat up. Her burns didn't hurt anymore. She yawned, getting to her feet. She rubbed her eyes and opened her bedroom door. It was quiet. She crept down the hall until she was reaching Ayame's door. She knocked on it gently. The door opened suddenly and Ayame stood there, a blank look on her face. Her clothes were on sloppily as if she'd just thrown them on.

"Ayame?" Yoshi said, puzzled, "What happened?"

Ayame scratched her head. "I'm just as unsure as you are, Yoshi," she said.

"Is _he_ still here?" she said, "I want to know everything."

She shook her head. "He just left," she said.

"You let him leave?" Yoshi said, "Can you at least tell me what happened?"

"I'm sorry," she said, her cheeks turning pink, "I held him down for as long as I could. And he never said anything about it."

Yoshi sighed. "What will happen if I know?" she said.

"He just doesn't want you to get involved," Ayame admitted, "It's dangerous, what could happen to you."

"I won't get involved, I just want to know," she said.

"Knowing you, Yoshi," Ayame said, "After finding out something so huge, you'll probably change your mind about that."

Yoshi sighed. "If someone was hiding the background to your entire life from you, you would want to know too," she said.

"I know," Ayame said, "That's why I want to tell you. Itachi wants to tell you too. He just doesn't want you to get hurt."

"Do you know when he's going to come back?" Yoshi asked.

Ayame glanced back into her bedroom at the open window, as if the answer would be written. She shook her head slowly. "Unfortunately, honey, I don't know if he's going to come back at all," she said softly, "I think I may have driven him away with my selfish needs."

Yoshi gazed at her silently. She could tell by the sincere, tranquil look on her face, something had happened. Before whenever Ayame spoke of Itachi, she would have this wildly yearning look in her eyes. But now that look wasn't there. Now she was calm. In fact, she looked more in love with him than before, if that was possible.

"Ayame," Yoshi said, "What did you two do?"

Ayame's gaze fell on her. She shook her head, sighing. "You wouldn't understand," she said, "At least not until you're my age."

Yoshi nibbled on her lip. Why did it seem like they felt she was too incompetent to understand anything? She stepped back and approached the door.

"I have a mission," she said quietly.

"A mission?" Ayame said, "Good luck."

Yoshi ignored her as she stepped outside, closing the door behind her. She sighed again, beginning to walk back to the training field. If Itachi and Ayame felt that she was too incompetent to understand her own life, then they were too incompetent to understand anything about her present life.


	6. Chapter Five

**Chapter Five**

Yoshi approached the others in the training field. Minori jumped up when he saw her and rushed over, a worried look on his face.

"Yoshi!" he exclaimed, "Are you alright? I saw that guy take off with you. Did he hurt you?"

"No," she said, "He took me home. Ayame healed my wounds. Are _you_ okay? You're the one who got left behind with him."

"He didn't touch me," Minori said, "Actually, he left as soon as you did."

Mari drew near them. "Wait," she said, "Someone took Yoshi and left?"

"Yeah," Minori said, "You two kind of looked alike. Is he a relative? I've never seen him before."

"Neither have I," Yoshi said, shrugging.

"That's strange," Mari said, "Well if he rescued you then maybe he isn't a threat to us. If he keeps showing up, however, he could be a spy."'

"That's unlikely," Yoshi said, sighing, "I don't know him too well but he and Ayame are close."

"Close?" Mari said, putting her hands on her hips, "What do you mean by close?"

Yoshi shrugged. "Like they tell me anything about their relationship," she said, shaking her head.

"Relationship?" Mari said, "Are they _together_?"

Yoshi shrugged. "They don't tell me anything," she said.

"Hm," Mari said, "I never knew Ayame was the type to get involved with boys. She always seemed so independent and she never got too involved with guys although they all drooled all over her."

"I don't know," Yoshi said, shrugging, "I'm pretty sure her and Itachi have a thing together." She then bit her lip, realizing she'd said his name aloud.

"Itachi?" Mari said, her brow furrowing, "Itachi Uchiha?" She snapped her fingers. "Yes! That's where I've seen your face!"

"What?" Yoshi said.

"Minori was right," she said, "You two _do_ look alike. Back when you were probably too young to remember, I caught him leaving the village by himself. Maybe he was going to see Ayame."

"I wouldn't know," Yoshi said.

"That's strange," Mari said, "I want to talk to Ayame about this. You guys are dismissed, the mission was canceled and given to another team anyways, after Yoshi and Minori were attacked."

"You're going to talk to Ayame?" Yoshi asked, "May I come?"

"Well if you don't know," Mari said, "It's probably not the best idea."

Yoshi sighed. "I'm _dying_ to know," she said, "And Ayame promised anyways. The only hope we have of either of us finding out is if I went and begged Itachi."

"Why are you so curious about their relationship?" Mari asked.

"It's not their relationship that I'm curious about," Yoshi said, "They could be married and I wouldn't mind. It's that they both know something huge about my life that I don't know and they refuse to tell me."

"Oh," Mari said, "That's interesting. Well then come along with me. Maybe we'll run into Itachi along the way."

"Unlikely," Yoshi said, "He hides."

Mari laughed as she began to walk. "I know," she said, "I was joking."

Yoshi followed closely behind. Minori and Akio were beginning to have a practice battle behind her. They were probably too preoccupied to even notice them leaving. The walk back to Yoshi's home was swift and silent. Once they reached it, things were quiet. Maybe Ayame was sleeping. Mari rang the doorbell. There was a long silence before the door opened. Ayame stood there, wide-eyed as if she was attempting to hide something.

"Ayame," Mari said, "Yoshi told me about your little _situation_ and I just wanted to have a talk with you."

"Oh," Ayame said, "A talk? Uh, I'm sorry, Mari but I'm a little busy right now."

"Busy with what?" Mari said.

Before Ayame could respond, Yoshi pushed past her into their home. Her gaze found Itachi sitting beside the table with a cup of tea. His face was in his hand and his expression remained unchanged when his gaze found her.

"Yoshi," he sighed, "Before you say anything, sit down. I want to tell you something."

Yoshi nodded and obeyed.

He closed his eyes and sighed. "I never wanted you to find out," he said, "It looks like I have no choice now but to tell you. But first, you have to promise not to get involved with anything."

She nodded. "I promise," she said.

"Okay," he said, sighing, "Ayame is of the Satou clan."

"I know," Yoshi said, "I am too."

"No," he said, shaking his head, "Yoshi, unfortunately, everything you've been told that you are is a lie. You weren't even born in Takigakure."

Yoshi felt a sudden rush of disbelief. She narrowed her eyes. "That's not true," she said through gritted teeth.

"Actually," Ayame's voice sounded from behind her, "It _is_ true."

"What?" Yoshi breathed, "But I remember being her for as far as my memory goes!"

"That's because when I brought you here," Itachi said, "You were still an infant. Only a few months old." His eyes glazed over as he gazed at the table, a small smile pinching up the corners of his lips. "You were the most beautiful little girl in the whole world," he murmured.

"Why did you bring me here?" Yoshi said, beginning to tremble, "Where was I before?"

"I brought you here for various reasons," he said, "It was too dangerous for you. But you were from Konohagakure and you're of the Uchiha clan."

"Uchiha?" she said, "Like... you?"

"Yes," he said, "Like me. In fact..." He trailed off, gazing up at Ayame.

"Yoshi, Itachi is your father," Ayame said.

Yoshi stiffened. "Wait," she said, gazing down at her lap, "Wait... is that why you never talked about our family with me?"

"That's exactly why," she said, "My birth parents died. There's not much to it. But your background is much, much more complicated."

"So how did I end up with Ayame?" Yoshi asked, her voice breathy and quiet.

"I brought you to her," Itachi said, "Long ago I met Ayame on a mission. That's how I knew her."

"Yes," Ayame said softly, "He rescued me from rebels. I would be dead if he hadn't come along when he did."

"We had to work together," he said, "And I knew I could trust her so I brought you to her."

"But why?" Yoshi said, "Why couldn't I stay in Konoha? What was so dangerous? Aren't they one of the five great shinobi villages? Wouldn't I be safer there than I am here?"

"No," he said, "With the Uchiha blood you have, you're much more likely to be targeted and killing in Konoha that you are here. And I had to take you away from Konoha. You were so precious to me and I didn't want you to witness me with so much blood on my hands."

"Blood on your hands?" she said.

He sighed. "That's as much as I can tell you for now," he said.

"No," she said, "Tell me. I want to know _everything_."

"Ask one of your elders about the annihilation of the Uchiha clan. You'll learn everything you need to know."

"Wait," she said, "Why can't you tell me?"

"It's a memory he doesn't want to bring back," Ayame said, gently, "You'll find out sooner or later."

Yoshi gazed at the floor, letting what they'd told her sink in. She took a deep, slow breath. "Can you tell me more about the Uchiha clan?" she asked quietly, "I want to know about my bloodline."

"Your bloodline?" Itachi said, "Well for one thing the Uchiha have a unique chakra. We have great bodily strength and we're capable of becoming overwhelmingly strong."

"Really?" Yoshi said.

"Don't forget about the sharingan," Ayame said.

"The sharingan?" Yoshi said, "What's that?"

Ayame grinned. "Itachi, I think you and Yoshi are going to need to do some personal training sessions," she said before turning towards the door, "Mari, Yoshi's going to be doing some separate training if you don't mind."

Mari's jaw was dropped and she gazed at them blankly. "Uh," she said, "Sure, I guess."

Ayame nodded once. "Thank you," she said, closing the door.


	7. Chapter Six

**Chapter Six**

Yoshi stood poised in front of Itachi, ready for him to attack at any moment. By now, after weeks of daily training, she was more prepared for battle than she ever was. He held out his hand and waved her towards him. She had the shadow clone that she'd created without his attention attack him from behind with a kunai and her fists. She leaped up in the air, doing swift hand signs.

"Fireball jutsu!" she said, blowing a ball of fire from her mouth towards him.

Itachi's clone disappeared and she spun around before he could hurt her. Her sharingan flashed as she slid back, making herself aware of the chakras she felt around her. She no longer felt clones. She only felt Itachi, Ayame, and herself. She dashed towards him at flying speeds, doing hand signs along the way. Her clone leaped over him and reached his other side. She and her clone did a fireball jutsu on either side of him before he leaped up in the air just in time to dodge it. Yoshi was in the air flying towards him the next second, infusing chakra into her fists. The impact of her blow was so great, he hit the ground at flying speeds. Exhausted, Yoshi descended to the ground with her shoulders slumped.

"Wow," Itachi said, rubbing his shoulder, where he'd been hit, "You've gotten so much better."

She smiled. "Only thanks to you," she said gratefully.

"I told you two not go too rough," Ayame said, rushing past Yoshi to Itachi, "Yoshi, I'm making dinner. Go wash up and get ready to eat. Afterward, it's straight to bed for you."

"Yes, Ayame," Yoshi said obediently, turning towards the window and hopping inside. She set the table quickly as Ayame healed Itachi's wounds outside.

•••

Ayame knelt down beside Itachi, listening as Yoshi hopped inside through the window. She gave his shoulders a gentle push so the he would lay flat on the ground. She held her hands over his chest and shoulder, beginning to heal where Yoshi had hit him. Her gaze wandered and caught the sweet smile on his face. Her face instantly flustered and she returned his smile.

"What's that look on your face?" she said softly.

"I was just thinking about this morning," he said gently, "It was one of the best mornings I've had in a long time."

She bit her lip, feeling a deep happiness bubble up inside of her. She'd made an impact on him. How long has it been since she'd first fallen for him?

She giggled. "I wish it didn't have to be the last time," she murmured.

His smile faded and his gaze softly linked to hers. He reached up and touched her cheek. The contact with him sent sweet tingles throughout her body. She held her breath, listening to her heart pound. He traced the curve of her cheek down to her jaw line until he met her chin. His thumb extended out and touched her lower lip gently. She felt spellbound by him. The curve of his small smile warmed her insides.

"Who said it had to be the last time?" he asked softly.

Ayame's heart was pounding so hard that it felt as if her entire body was falling into convulsions. Once she could feel that the wound Yoshi had given him was healed, her hands fell on to his chest gently. He propped himself up on one elbow, facing her. His fingers fell on her cheek, his thumb sliding down to chin. He pulled her closer to him, leaning towards her as well. She held her breath once he was within breathing distance of her. The tip of his nose brushed hers. All she could feel was her heart racing. She closed her eyes when he tilted his head and kissed her. She clenched too handfuls of his shirt as she felt him sitting up. She pressed her lips hard against his, squeezing her eyes closed so hard that everything was turning white. She knew her heart was in his hands. She knew that he could utterly destroy her any time he wanted to. She knew that the only reason he still talked to her was because of Yoshi. She also knew that if he decided he didn't need her anymore, she would completely fall apart. She knew all that. And yet she was giving him the chance to do with her what he wished. She felt herself trembling as her fingertips traced up his spine to his shoulders where she held him tightly against her. When his lips parted from hers, her heart had gone numb from pounding. She panted, keeping her eyes closed against his warm breath against her skin. This was her slice of heaven.

Ayame opened her eyes just in time to catch him gazing at her, a deep look of affection coating his eyes, biting his lip. She wanted to kiss him again. His arms wrapped firmly around her shoulders, pulling her against him. She held on to him tightly, her body warm against his chest. She could hear his heartbeat. It was beating the same way that hers was. She took a deep sigh of relief. The things she'd been dreaming about since she was a Genin were finally coming true. All the wishes she made and the prayers she sent; finally, her whole life was coming together. All she needed was this man to hold it together.

"Ayame," he said softly, stroking her hair, "Why don't we... go inside? I believe Yoshi is waiting."

She sighed, giving him one last squeeze before he managed to slip from her grasp and get to his feet. He extended out his hand towards her and she took it, letting him pull her to her feet.

•••

Yoshi sat at the table, gazing at the freshly cooked food hungrily. She knew it was rude to eat by herself when the food wasn't only made for her. That's why she was waiting for Itachi and Ayame to return. Knowing Ayame, she was probably begging him to kiss her or something. Yoshi sighed, delicately brushing her hair away from her face. Finally, she could hear them approaching. She turned her head and watched as Ayame led the way in, Itachi close behind her. Ayame's cheeks were pink. Something had definitely went on outside, but Yoshi wasn't on to pry if it wasn't her business. Itachi sat down across from Yoshi and Ayame lingered on her feet for a moment before taking a seat beside him. They began to eat in silence.

"Yoshi," Itachi said, "There's just one more lesson I want to have with you before you start to train with Mari again."

"Good," Yoshi said, grinning, "I want to keep getting better so that I can beat Minori and Akio."

"Actually," he said, "It's not a training lesson. It's a lesson about your eyes."

"My eyes?" Yoshi said, her smile fading, "Oh, alright then. When will this happen?"

"After we finish eating," he said, "Before you go to sleep. I want to make sure you know these things. It's important."

"I see," Yoshi said.

Her gaze wandered to Ayame. Ayame was eating in silence, her face still flustered. She looked deep in thought, even a smile decorating her face. Quickly, Yoshi let her gaze fall to her food. Love was an emotion that she didn't want to ever interfere with her work as a shinobi. It was the reason why Ayame wasn't a shinobi now. If she hadn't fallen for Itachi in the beginning, when he'd asked her to take Yoshi in, she probably would have told him that it's not her responsibility. Instead her gaze lifted to Itachi curiously as she remembered the look he'd given Ayame before she'd passed out from her wounds after battling Deidara. Did he love Ayame too? Is that what the look on Ayame's face was for? Yoshi let her gaze drop to her food again. It wasn't her business so she shouldn't let herself get involved.

•••

Yoshi sat on her bed. Ayame had gone to her room to change and get prepared to sleep. Itachi closed Yoshi's bedroom door, leaning against it. He gazed at Yoshi curiously, as if wondering where to begin. She clenched the edge of her bed tightly, nervous as to what he would say.

"Listen, Yoshi," Itachi finally began, "There's one thing you should know about them. Although they improve your vision in all aspects when they're activated, you mustn't overuse them."

"What will happen if I do?" she asked curiously.

"Depending on how much you overuse them," he said, "You could go blind."

"I understand," she said, "Is this all that you wanted to tell me?"

"No," he said, "I don't expect you to achieve as far as I'm going to tell you, and I don't mean that negatively towards you. It's just that to achieve some power, blood needs to be shed. And I don't want you to taint your hands with the blood of someone who isn't your enemy. I'm going to tell you anyways, however. There is another level of the sharingan. Of course you still need to perfect yours before you can even attempt to obtain it. But it's an Uchiha Kekkei Genkai. It's called the Mangekyo Sharingan. Overusing it can consume great amounts of your chakra and result in your death. I'm not going to tell you how to obtain it or much else about it. You'll learn at your own pace. I just wanted you to know that another level does exist."

"Why won't you tell me how to obtain it?" she asked, "What if I'll need it one day?"

He shook his head slowly. "Yoshi," he said, gently, "You will never need that much power. You're already excelling so quickly. In just a matter of weeks, you're nearing Chuunin level. You _will_ survive without the power the Mangekyo has to offer you. You're doing great, Yoshi."

"You really don't think so?" she asked, curiously.

"Yes," he said, "You won't need it unless you plan on rebelling, but I hope you never do that."

"I'm not going to do it," she said, "So then I guess I won't need it."

"Good," he said, stepping towards her and kissing the top of her head, "Go to sleep."

Yoshi nodded and laid down, pulling the blanket over her shoulders. As he opened the door, she called after him, "Good night."

"Good night," he responded before exiting the room and closing the door.

Yoshi sighed. There were so many things Itachi was keeping from her. Why did he feel the need to hide things from her? She wouldn't tell anybody anything if that was what he wanted. Her eyes gradually closed with each thought until she finally let herself fall into a deep slumber.


	8. Chapter Seven

**Chapter Seven**

Ayame sat at the edge of her bed, her hair pulled back and her night gown over her body to mid-thigh. She could hear Itachi's footsteps approaching. Her heart raced wildly in her chest. He was coming. She straightened out her pose, gazing at the doorway. Once he finally came into view, Ayame could feel the air being knocked out of her by her pounding heart. He leaned against her door frame and crossed his arms, gazing at her.

"Are you leaving?" she asked quietly.

"I don't know yet," he responded, "Ever since I've begun to talk to you and Yoshi again, I've hated sleeping alone."

She clenched her sweaty hands into fists in her lap, gazing up at him. Something in her mind whispered to her to invite him to sleep next to her, but it made her feel nervous. Even though she'd given him everything she had already, it still made her nervous. Her mind flashed back to the morning that he'd loved so much. It was the first morning that he decided to spend with her. She had made him breakfast while Yoshi was out doing little missions with her team. They hadn't exchanged many words but the feelings that it evoked inside of her were inundating. She was so in love with him it was difficult to breathe whenever he was around.

"Why don't you sleep next to me?" she asked without thinking, "My bed has room for the two of us."

He gave her a sweet smile, warming her insides. Instantly she was glad she'd asked to sleep next to him. His graceful gait towards her was slow. She gazed up at him as he paused, standing in front of her. His hesitation was quick before he sat down on the bed beside her. His gaze found her as he laid down on his back, his fingers entwining behind his head, caressing his hair down. She felt her cheeks turn pink, gazing at him. He was laying in her bed. Her heart beat slower but the feel of it was more powerful. She wanted him again. Her breathing deepened and became more intense as she crawled to his side. She laid down beside him, only inches of space between them. On her side, she gazed at him. Could she just ask for it? Or would he give it to her willingly? He turned on his side as well, facing her. His gaze was soft and warm on her. Her breath caught in her throat. She'd never met a man who amazed her as much as he did. He reached his hands towards her and touched her waist gently. The touch sent tingles through her body. But it only lasted a moment before he swiftly pulled her body against his, pressing his lips to hers.

Ayame's heart racing, she slid her hands up his chest and wrapped her arms around his neck. The passion danced between their lips. She wanted more than just kissing now. The last time she gave him herself was the first time and she wanted it now more than she did before. She pulled her lips away from his and kissed his neck.

"Ayame," he murmured, "Let me have you again."

"Of course," she breathed.

•••

Yoshi burst through her bedroom doorway, having already washed up and gotten ready for the day. She wanted to be quick, eating breakfast and leaving. She rushed to Ayame's bedroom, pulling open the door without knocking.

"Ayame?" she said, grinning. Her smile faded. She didn't see Ayame, only a shirtless Itachi sleeping with the blanket at his waist and facing the wall. What was he doing sleeping in Ayame's bed? And shirtless, too? It was as if they were a married couple. She stepped back slowly, closing the door behind her.

The second she closed the door, Ayame barked from behind her, "What are you _doing_, barging into my room like that?"

Yoshi spun around, feeling panicked. "I thought you were in there," she said, "I'm sorry."

"Sorry?" Ayame said, angrily, "What if I was changing in there when you walked in?"

"I'm sorry, really!" Yoshi said, "I thought you were still sleeping and I was going to try to wake you up!"

"Who asked you to wake me up? I can wake up on my own!" Ayame exclaimed.

The door behind Yoshi opened and she turned. Itachi stood there, shirtless, a tired look on his face.

"What's going on?" he asked.

"Nothing," Ayame said quickly, "Get back to bed, Itachi. You hardly slept last night."

He smiled, turning halfway. "Alright," he said, "Don't argue, though."

Ayame nodded, returning his smile reassuringly. "We won't," she said.

He closed the door behind him as he returned into the bedroom. Yoshi sighed, turning back to Ayame.

"Why did it make you so angry?" Yoshi asked, quietly, "I've woken you up before and you never complain."

Ayame sighed. "Breakfast is ready," she said, "Go and eat."

Yoshi gazed at her intently before turning and beginning her gait to the living room. She sat beside the table, beginning to nibble on the breakfast Ayame had prepared, waiting for her arrival. She sighed, wondering what she and her team could do today now that she could return to regular training. Hopefully they would get at least a C-ranked mission for once. The D-ranked missions were beginning to get boring. She wanted a taste of the action a real shinobi had to face. She was so lost in thought she'd hardly noticed Ayame take a seat in front of her.

"Good morning," Ayame sighed, hungrily beginning to eat.

"Morning," Yoshi responded.

"What's on your mind?" Ayame asked, "You look like you're thinking."

"I am thinking," Yoshi said, "I'm thinking about what my team and I are going to do today."

"Ah," Ayame said, "That reminds me..."

"What?" Yoshi asked.

Ayame smiled slightly, a mischievous look her eyes as she gazed at the door. It wasn't long before a light knock sounded. Ayame jumped to her feet.

"Mari wanted to talk to you about your training," she said as she approached the door. She opened it and greeted Mari politely.

Mari stepped inside and grinned at Yoshi before stepping towards her, taking a seat beside her.

"How are you, Yoshi?" she said, "I haven't gotten to actually spend time with you in a while, except for when I send you and the boys out on missions."

"I'm great, actually," Yoshi said, "I've really progressed since the last time we practice fought with the others. I can't wait to show you guys how strong I've become. What about you? How has your training with the boys been going?"

"They've progressed as well," Mari said, her brow raising, "I'm excited to see how good you've gotten."

"She's gotten great," Ayame reassured as she slowly returned to her spot, "She and Itachi have been training hard every day since she's been on leave of your training." She then bit her lip. "Oh yeah, and about that..."

"Don't worry," Mari said, waving her hand, "I won't tell that he's been here as long as he's not a threat. I just want to know more about your little relationship going on with him."

Ayame's eyes widened as she took the sudden question as a shock. Her cheeks turned pink. "Oh," she said, quietly, "There isn't a relationship between us. We're just friends. That's all."

Mari chuckled, shaking her head. "No relationship?" she said, "Oh come on! You turned pink just at the subject! Come on."

Ayame shook her head. "Really," she said, "There's nothing between us."

"Yoshi," Mari said, "What have _you_ seen?"

Yoshi's brow went up as she gazed at Ayame, smirking. Ayame's face was turning redder by the second. "Actually," Yoshi said, "I walked in Ayame's room this morning. Guess what I saw?"

"What?" Mari asked.

"My father was sleeping in her bed," she said, "With his _shirt off_."

Mari gasped, her gaze falling on Ayame. "Ayame," she breathed, "I didn't know you had it in you!"

Ayame adverted her gaze, her face flustered. "Whatever he and I do is _me and his_ business," she said, "Let's keep talking about Yoshi's training... I've been teaching her medical ninjutsu. She's not quite the best at it yet but she's getting better."

"Wow," Mari said, "You've been working Yoshi too hard from the looks of it. I can't want to observe her in action."

Yoshi grinned. "And neither can I," she said.


	9. Chapter Eight

**Chapter Eight**

Yoshi planted her feet firmly on the grassy ground below her feet. She knew that the grass was soft. It wouldn't hurt if either she or Minori fell to the ground. She cracked her knuckles, gazing at Minori in front of her. It was either Minori won and Yoshi's training was better off with Mari or Yoshi won and then she would have to fight Akio who was currently observed as the best of the three of them. She stood in a fighting position, pulling out a kunai and preparing for an attack. Minori's facial expression tensed. She knew how he felt about fighting a girl; let alone his teammate who was a girl. She sighed, clenching her jaw. She would change his mind. If he held back because of that, it wasn't her fault. Mari signaled them to begin.

Yoshi shot forward towards him, holding out her kunai. She extended her arm as she was reaching him. He grasped her wrist firmly just before the blade of the kunai could reach his neck. She reached out her leg as quickly as she could and kicked his side. He winced but didn't go down.

"Minori," Mari said, "Don't hold back. I don't believe either of you will hurt each other if neither of you hold back."

Minori gazed at Mari for a moment before meeting Yoshi's gaze. His eyes fell to her feet on the floor. Her sharingan flashed. He was getting serious. She pulled away her wrist from his grasp and slid backwards. She held her kunai in a defense position. He stood there, inanimate, gazing at her feet for a few long moments. Mari and Akio seemed to tense watching. He then began to run forward so quickly it was difficult to follow his movements. She didn't dare blink, watching his hand signs. A light drizzle fell on her head. He bit his lip and suddenly the rain began to feel sharper. It was hail now. Hail in the shape of needles. Her shadow clone dismissed and Minori gazed around.

Yoshi did quick hand signs from behind the tree she was standing in. She pursed her lips, holding her fingers up to them.

"Fireball jutsu," she called out, before breathing fire from her lips. The flames burst through the field, heading straight for Minori. His wide eyes gazed at it fearfully before dodging it swiftly.

Yoshi's jaw clenched. She created a shadow clone, leaving it where she was before, before running swiftly around the field unseen within the forest. She stopped at the other side. Her shadow clone emerged as she was spotted. She chucked kunai at him, paper bombs attached. He dodged it easily. His speed had increased, that was for sure. He dashed towards the clone, holding out his fist. A thick layer of chakra infused ice coated his hand and he hit Yoshi's clone.

"Yoshi," he said, "Stop playing game. Where are you?"

The clone dismissed. Yoshi watched as he studied the forest in front of him. His back was to her. She quickly infused chakra into her fist and leaped into the air, flying towards him. The impact her fist made with his back was so hard that he groaned as he hit the floor with a thud. Mari gasped and Yoshi knelt down beside him.

"Are you okay?" she asked him.

Wincing, he nodded slowly. "You've gotten so much better," he said.

Mari was on his other side in an instant, helping him sit up. "Wow," she said, "Looks like I underestimated you, Yoshi." She chuckled, lifting up Minori's shirt from behind and checking his back for any wounds that were too bad. "You really have improved. I'm not even sure if you're still at a Genin level anymore."

Yoshi grinned. "Thank you," she said, "I worked really hard."

Rubbing his back, Minori said, "We know."

Yoshi giggled.

"Well," Mari said, "You both used up a considerable amount of chakra today. Maybe the fight between Yoshi and Akio will have to go on some other time. I want you guys to get your rest because we have a mission tomorrow."

Yoshi perked up. "A mission?" she said, "What kind of mission?"

"A C-ranked mission," she said, grinning, "I really have enough faith in you guys for this."

"What will we have to do?" Yoshi asked.

"You'll find out," she said, "Just go have fun for the rest of the day. You three need a break, working so hard."

Yoshi got to her feet and helped Minori get to his. Akio stepped towards them.

"So," Akio said, "I have until sunset before I have to get home. Where should we go?"

Yoshi smiled. "Let's go eat first," she said, "I'm hungry."

"Oh," Minori said, "Good thing I brought money."

"Me too," Akio said.

"Alright then," Yoshi said, "If we're all set, let's go."

She began to walk, the boys walking at her sides. It was quiet for a few moments.

"So who were you training with?" Minori asked, "Ayame?"

"Yeah," she said, careful not to stammer her words, "Ayame trained me."

"She knows some crazy good tactics," he said, "Isn't the fireball jutsu a Konoha thing?"

"Yeah," she said, gazing at her feet, "She's battled a few people from Konoha and I guess she just picked up on their tactics." She slipped her hand into her pouch to check if her money was still there. When she didn't feel it, she sighed. "Guys," she said, "Let's stop at my house. I guess I forgot my money."

"I'll pay for you," Minori suggested.

Yoshi smiled at him gratefully. "Thank you," she said, "But you paid for me last time. I feel like I'd be asking for too much."

"It's not too much," he said.

"Still," she said, "My house isn't far. We could take a detour."

"It's okay with me," Akio said.

"Me too," Minori said.

"Alright," she said. The walk to her home was quick and silent. At the door, she turned to face them. "You guys wait here," she said, "I'll just be in and out." She opened the door and stepped inside, gazing around. It was silent and Ayame was nowhere in sight. She crept towards her bedroom and knocked lightly. There was no answer, but she could sense that Ayame was inside. She cracked open the door. Ayame was lying on her back, her hand over her stomach. Her eyes were closed. She was sleeping in so late? That wasn't like Ayame. Normally at this time she'd be cleaning up or gardening or taking a walk. Never sleeping. She stalked towards her.

"Ayame," she said quietly, "Wake up."

Ayame didn't stir. Yoshi lifted Ayame's wrist off of her stomach and dropped it. She still didn't stir. Beginning to panic, Yoshi shook her by her shoulders. "Ayame," she said a bit louder, "_Wake up_!" Ayame didn't move. Her heart pounding, Yoshi checked her pulse on her wrist. She took a deep breath. There was still a heartbeat. That meant that Ayame had fainted. Her gaze fell on the open window at the end of Ayame's bed. She could see Itachi's feet dangling from the roof. Fury raged through her. This was his doing. She leaped out the window through the gap between his legs and the window seal. She landed a few feet away, gazing up at him with her hands clenched into fists.

"What did you do to her?" she said, angrily.

He closed his eyes and sighed. "It doesn't concern you," he said.

"It _does_ concern me," she said, "If you didn't want it to concern me, you shouldn't have left me with her in the first place! Lately it seems like everything that goes wrong in my life is _your_ doing! I wish you'd never even come back!"

His eyelids fluttered open. She could see that they were coated in hurt and regret. Yoshi suddenly felt her heart drop. She didn't want him to be hurt. She fought back tears. Why did it take such a toll on her to see him hurt? She clenched her jaw, gazing up at him. He looked away and got to his feet on the rooftop.

"Well," he said quietly, "It's been fun. But I see that I'm no longer welcome."

He lifted up something in his hand that she hadn't even realized he'd been holding. Looking at it closely, she could tell it was a cloak. The same one that Deidara was wearing. Yoshi's eyes widened. Itachi was in the Akatsuki? He'd told her about the Akatsuki. He'd told her about how dangerous they were and that she should keep away. He told her that they sought out all the Jinchuuriki. But what he didn't tell her was that he was one of them. He pulled the cloak over his shoulders.

"Akatsuki," Yoshi breathed, "You're... you're one of them?"

"It doesn't concern you," he said, turning away.

Yoshi leaped up on the rooftop behind him and squeezed his wrist.

"Father," she said quietly, "Why won't you tell me anything?"

His gaze hit her hard. Her heart raced. She didn't want him to be angry with her. Just the thought of it was painful. Her grasp on his wrist increased in strength until he sighed.

"The things I don't tell you are for your own good," he said.

"But why?" she said, "If everything happened in Konoha that you're not telling me, why would it make me safer if I didn't know? I've never been to Konoha before. I've never even left the village before."

He hesitated for a few moments before leaning forward and touching her shoulders. "Yoshi," he said, quietly, "If I... show you Konoha, will you stop asking to know more?"

Yoshi grinned, getting to her toes, eager for an adventure. "On one condition," she said, "You promise me that one day, I _will_ find out everything about myself that I don't know."

Itachi smirked, standing up straight. He looked left and right, flicking his hair away from his face. He turned to face the opposite direction.

"I promise," he said, leaning forward, "Get on my back. Let's make this quick."

Any thought of Minori and Akio slipping her mind, she climbed on to his back feverishly. They then began their stealth journey out of the village.


	10. Chapter Nine

**Chapter Nine**

Yoshi jerked awake, sitting up. She had fallen asleep, warm next to Itachi. He'd wrapped his cloak around her as well. Her gaze studied her surroundings. They were halfway to Konoha. She began to tremble as a chilly gust of wind swept her pig tails of hair from her shoulders. They were lifted up, riding on the wind for a few moments before falling on to her back. She felt Itachi's warm hands grasp her shoulders and he pulled her back down, holding her close.

"It's cold," he said, "We were unprepared to travel. You'll catch a cold if you're not warm enough."

She nodded. Where were Minori and Akio? She closed her tired eyes, her thoughts wandering. Akio and Minori. Last time she'd seen them, they were waiting outside of her home. What about Ayame? She had no idea of this trip. It seemed all good and well in the beginning, but the longer she'd wondered about it, the more unsure she became. She sighed. Itachi felt warm against the chilled winds. It was comforting. It wasn't long before she'd fallen into a deep sleep in her father's arms.

•••

"Yoshi, wake up."

Itachi's soft voice reached her through the thick fog of her dream. Her eyes fluttered open and found him, leaning over her, the sun brightly shining behind him. She sat up. It was warm now. She rubbed her eyes.

"Father," she murmured, "Do we have anything to eat? I'm hungry."

"Soon," he promised, "We're almost there. When we get there, I'll buy you something."

She sighed and got to her feet. "Well," she said, "Let's get going."

He nodded, getting to his feet as well. He bent forward and she climbed on to his back again and he began to run. She held on tightly, resting her head against his shoulder. Her heart pounded with worry. She wondered what Ayame was doing. She was probably worried sick. She sighed, closing her eyes. The wind was strong. It was more soothing than annoying, however.

Yoshi hadn't realized that she'd fallen asleep until she jerked awake. Itachi had stopped. He was standing atop a tall tree, gazing over the village of Konoha. She gasped, sliding off of his back and standing at his side. Konoha was beautiful. Her heart felt warm. She felt at home here. She delicately touched the tree beside her. She didn't want to go back to Taki anymore. She'd rather Ayame and the others come here but she knew it wasn't possible. She had to go back. She clenched her hands into fists, wishing that whatever had kept Itachi from letting her live here hadn't existed. If she'd never met Ayame or Minori or Akio or Mari or anybody from Taki, she wouldn't have to question her loyalty to her village as she gazed down at the great and beautiful Konohagakure.

"Father," she murmured, "I... I wish I could stay."

He took a deep breath. "I know the feeling," he sighed.

She couldn't pull her gaze away. She could see people scattered around the village. Some of them were lucky enough to be endowed with the Konoha shinobi forehead protector. She lifted her gaze to her father. His forehead protector had the same symbol; the only difference was the scratch through it. Why hadn't she noticed it before? He _was_ from Konoha. And since he was her father, that meant she was originally from Konoha as well. Curiosity grasped her heart. She wanted to know why it was that Itachi had abandoned such a beautiful village and taken Yoshi away from it.

Yoshi hadn't realized what had happened until she found herself in Itachi's arm opposite where she was standing before. The swiftness of it made her feel dizzy. But there was no doubt; gazing at where she was standing, there was a kunai in the tree. She began to pant, rubbing her eyes. She lifted her gaze towards Itachi. His sharingan were activated. The sunlight danced in his angry eyes. His gaze wandered left and right, in search of who did this.

"Oh, Itachi," a voice sighed from the branch above their heads, "What can we do? We told you time and time again that that girl is off limits."

Itachi's jaw clenched and he threw his gaze up to the branch above them. "Tobi," he said quietly, "How did you find me?"

A man jumped down. Yoshi studied his attire; the Akatsuki cloak adorned his body, no doubt. Over his face, he wore an orange mask with a hole for the eye. He looked frightening. Something about him being near her didn't feel safe. She held tightly on to Itachi.

"Easy," he shrugged, "I've been behind you since you've entered fire country." Itachi was grinding his teeth now. "Anyway, back to what I was saying. I realize that she is your daughter, but, Itachi... the fact of the matter is that we don't trust you. We can't have anybody finding out what we're doing."

"What are you saying?" Itachi said, "You're telling me that I can't be with my own daughter?"

"That's exactly what I'm saying," Tobi said, "Do what you will for now. You have a week to get her off of your hands."

There was a long, tense hesitation before Itachi muttered through gritted teeth, "Yes."

"Good," Tobi said. The swirl design on his mask grew suddenly and he was swallowed by it. It then disappeared. Itachi set Yoshi down on the branch before sitting down, leaning his head against the trunk. Yoshi gazed at him. Something about being here in this tree; something about the sad look on his face; it all seemed too familiar. Something about it made her want to cry. She sat down beside him, resting her head on his shoulder. Tears slid down her numb cheeks. She didn't know why she was crying; all she knew was that now felt like the best time to cry. Itachi pulled her into a hug at the note of her crying.

"Don't cry, pretty girl," he murmured, "Everything will be okay."

Something about his words touched her heart. It only made her cry harder. After a few long, heartfelt moments, Itachi sat up, gazing at her. He touched her cheek and wiped away the tears with his thumb.

"We have a week," Yoshi said, "I don't understand why... what will happen after a week?"

He shook his head. "Nothing, nothing," he said quickly, "Don't worry about it. Everything will be back to normal very soon; I promise."

"Normal..." she said quietly, "What do you mean by normal?"

He gently kissed her forehead, pulling her against his chest and stroking her hair humanely. "Don't worry about it," he simply said, "Let's just enjoy this time we're given."

"Oh... okay," she said, unsure.

•••

Yoshi's eyes fluttered open to the sunlight streaming in through the shades of the window beside her, pouring over her face. She shaded her eyes with her hand before sitting up in her cot. Her gaze traced the walls of the room. Itachi wasn't in here. She got to her feet, making her way to the bathroom. She entered, closing the door behind her and washed up quickly. Her stomach growled and she sighed, rubbing it with the palm of her hand hungrily. She brushed her hair before returning to the room where her cot was. She tied on her forehead protector and sat at the table beside the window, gazing out. There were so many people outside. This was a village near Konoha, where all the hotels and carnivals and things like that would be.

"Are you hungry?" Itachi's voice found her from the doorway.

Yoshi turned in her chair and the first thing her gaze could see were the little boxes in his hands. She fidgeted in her chair. She was so hungry that his footsteps towards her were in slow motion, according to her mental image of it. He finally reached her, setting a box down in front of her on the table and a box across from her. He sat in his chair and opened the box. She gazed at him wide eyed, her fingertips brushing against the corners of the box in front of her. His gaze met hers before he chuckled and nodded. She opened the box quickly and began to devour the food in front of her, savoring every bite like it was her last.

It wasn't long before the box was completely empty. She sat up. She was full now. She lifted her gaze to Itachi. He wasn't eating as quickly as she was and his box still had yet to be finished. She sighed, finally able to think clearly. This was so close to the place where she was born. This was so close to the place where Itachi had decided to give her up and take her somewhere else.

"Father," she said quietly, "Are you ever going to tell me why you took me to Taki?"

He chewed slowly, gazing down at his food. He swallowed before taking a deep breath. "Yoshi," he said, "One day, you will learn. But that day can't be today, okay? I'm sorry."

Yoshi sighed again, picking up her empty box and getting to her feet. She tossed it in the garbage and stood by the door as Itachi tossed his out as well.

"I want to explore," she said, "Can you show me around here?"

He nodded, wiping his mouth with a napkin before tossing that out as well. "My pleasure," he said, "There's just one thing we have to be sure of."

"What's that?" Yoshi asked, watching as he stepped in front of her and opened the door.

Without glancing back at her, he responded, "That the people of Konoha don't see my face."


	11. Chapter Ten

**Chapter Ten**

Yoshi followed closely behind Itachi, leaping through the trees. The only way they would get into Konohagakure is illegally. She had already taken off her Taki headband and put her hair down and changed her clothes. She couldn't have the Uchiha symbol on her in Konoha; they'd recognize it. He came to a halt a few branches away from the opening that would lead to the village. He turned to face her, a serious guise shadowing his face.

"Yoshi," he whispered, "I'll be near you at all times but you won't see or sense me. Don't stray too far and don't talk to anybody."

Yoshi nodded. "Yes," she whispered in return.

He gestured towards the opening and Yoshi climbed down the tree and slowly walked towards it. Her fingertips tingled with excitement and her heart pounded in her chest. She stuck her head through the gap between the trees and gazed around. People were everywhere. She crept through and walked behind a group of people as if she was one of them so that nobody noticed her come in through the forest. She flicked her hair away with her fingertips, slowing her gait. She gazed around, in awe. Although she'd spent her entire life in a village, Takigakure wasn't half as great as Konoha. She felt her pockets. Her wallet was in there with her money. She smiled. This would be fun.

Yoshi turned her head, continuing to walk. Her gazed studied the forest. She could see Itachi but she knew he was there. She felt safe. She walked on slowly, gazing around. There were shops, restaurants, houses. Of course Taki had all of this stuff but here... it just seemed so unreal. She stopped, gazing up at a sign. _Ichiraku Ramen_ it read. She stepped inside and gazed at the menu. Only a few people were here; a couple of civilians and a blond kid wearing a Konoha shinobi forehead protector.

"What can I get for you?" the man behind the counter said to Yoshi, a friendly grin on her face.

Her heart began to race. She looked like just another civilian around here. She was fitting in. She sat on the stool beside the blond guy.

"Oh," she said thoughtfully, "May I please have the special?"

"Yes, you may," the man said kindly, beginning to prepare her Ramen.

Yoshi gazed down at her hands, rested on the counter in front of her. She was trembling. She was afraid and excited at the same time. She swallowed, taking a deep breath. She was seconds away from hyperventilating. Yoshi lifted her gaze. It had just come to her realization that the blond guy was staring at her. He was gazing at her closely, as if he was thinking.

"You," he said, "Do I know you?"

"No," Yoshi said quickly, "You might have seen me around, though. I'm from the next town over and I visit often."

"Oh," he said, "I thought you looked familiar."

"Yeah," Yoshi said, "I'm Yoshi. What's your name?"

He grinned. "Naruto Uzumaki," he said, "I'm going to be the next Hokage."

Yoshi smiled. He was so enthusiastic. "Aw," she said, "Good luck."

•••

Yoshi had just finished eating her Ramen. She paid before getting to her feet and exiting the Ramen shop. Nobody was suspecting her in the slightest. She began to wander randomly around the village, buying souvenirs and exploring. She hadn't met many people but that didn't matter to her. The sun was finally setting. She rushed out towards the forest. She crept into it, careful so that she was unseen. She gazed around.

"Father?" she whispered.

"Let's go," she heard his voice say from above. He was in a tree.

Yoshi obediently ran up the side of it towards him. She climbed on to the branch he was on.

"Did you have fun?" he asked as he began to leap through the trees.

Following closely behind, Yoshi said, "Oh, yes! It was _so_ fun! I could only wish Taki was as great as Konoha."

He glanced back at her before saying, "Now," he said, "You belong to Takigakure. Don't think too much about Konoha."

"I understand," she said. Although she wanted nothing more than to stay here for the rest of her life, she _did_ understand. What she wanted and what she had to do were two different things now. It wasn't long before they were landing on the ground and entering the next town over. In their hotel, Yoshi sat on her rented cot. "What are we doing tomorrow?"

"I don't know," he sighed, sitting in his, "I want to spend it together this time, though."

"Alright," she said, smiling, "That works for me."

•••

Yoshi gazed up at Itachi across the table. He was eating his lunch in silence, nibbling on his noodles. He looked in a daze. His gaze was fixated on the table but it seemed like he was seeing something completely different.

"Father?" she said, "What are you thinking about?"

"Huh?" he said, returning to reality, "Oh… nothing, it's nothing."

Yoshi pursed her lips. "It sure didn't look like nothing," she said, "It seems like something has your mind occupied."

He shook his head. "Don't worry about it," he said, "This is a vacation. Don't worry about things you don't need to worry about."

"It's a vacation for both of us, though," she said, "I just want to make sure the both of us enjoy it. Plus, how can we be close if you don't tell me anything?"

Itachi gazed at her thoughtfully before resting his elbow on the table of the restaurant they were in, holding his face in his hand. He played with his food using his fork without moving his gaze from the window beside them.

"If I don't stop talking to you by the end of the week, you'll be killed," he said, quietly.

Yoshi's fists clenched. The damn Akatsuki were so cruel. Why were they so quick to kill? What did killing innocent people solve? Nothing. Cold-blooded murders are what they are.

"But why?" she said, "We're not doing anything wrong."

"It's not that," he said, shaking his head, "They don't want me to tell you their secrets. They would kill you in an instant if they knew that you knew anything."

"Even if you did," she said, "I'm not one to blurt things out…"

"I know that," he said, "But you're still considered an enemy to them. They don't trust either of us."

Yoshi sighed. "Damn," she muttered, "I guess I just… got my hopes up. I thought that I would actually have family now. It was lonely with just Ayame."

Itachi met her gaze again and reached out, touching her hand on the table. "I'll always be there, Yoshi," he said, "Even if you can't see me… I'll be there for you."

Yoshi smiled. "Thank you, but that's not the same," she said, "Why is our family so screwed up?"

He sighed, leaning back in his seat. "I don't know," he said, "It's been like this for a long, long time."

Yoshi flicked her hair away from her face, resting her chin in her palm and scanning outside of the restaurant. People passed, children holding hands with their mothers and fathers; couples walking side by side. There were hardly any loners walking. It's because they all had family. That was what Yoshi wanted; a family. Itachi got to his feet, leaving money on the table with the check.

"Yoshi," he said, "Let's go."

Yoshi nodded and stood. She followed him outside. The hustle and bustle of the people here was somewhat exhilarating to Yoshi. She grasped a handful of Itachi's shirt so that she wouldn't be pulled away from him. A gust of wind lifted her hair off of her shoulders. She blinked hard so that the room temperature winds didn't water her eyes. When she opened her eyes, her gaze found someone. He looked so familiar, but at the same time she knew he was a stranger. He looked suspicious; wearing his black, hooded cloak and gazing around as if he was looking for someone. She lifted her gaze to Itachi. He was gazing at the shops. He didn't even seem to notice the familiar stranger. Her gaze fell on him again. He looked left and right before gazing straight ahead. His eyes widened when he saw Itachi. His gaze flickered to Yoshi. He had a blank expression on his face before turning around and disappearing. He didn't look like a ninja. Yoshi squeezed Itachi's shirt. Just who was that guy?


	12. Chapter Eleven

**Chapter Eleven**

Ayame stood atop of her home, gazing around as she fought back tears. It's been days. Nobody had a clue where Yoshi was. And it wasn't a coincidence that Itachi had disappeared as well. She bit her lip. Where could he have taken her? Had he decided that she was no longer needed and took Yoshi to raise her himself? She nibbled on her lip roughly. He wouldn't do that. That would mean getting Yoshi involved with the Akatsuki, which would probably end up getting her killed. He wouldn't do anything that would even make it possible that Yoshi would be killed. She sighed, jumping to the floor. Her feet hit with a thud before she turned to the window behind her, climbing in. His words before he left echoed in her mind. What was he planning? Why was it suddenly so necessary to disappear and never come back? Her heart pounded in fear. She wanted what they had before; just her, Itachi, and Yoshi. Yoshi could have the closest thing to a family and Ayame could have the only man that she wanted.

"Minori," Ayame said when her gaze found him standing at the doorway to her bedroom, "What are you doing here?"

He ran his fingers through his hair, biting his lip. "I'm worried about Yoshi," he said, "Where is she?"

Ayame sighed. "I wish I knew," she said, "It's been days now. She's all I've been able to think about it."

"I wonder where she's gone," he sighed, "It's not like her to just up and leave out of the blue."

She clenched her jaw. "She didn't," she said through gritted teeth, "Someone took her. And I know who it was."

"She was _kidnapped_?" Minori gasped, "By who?" He balled his hand into a fist. "I'd do anything to get her back."

"Me too," Ayame said, "But the problem is that I have no idea where they went. If I did, I would've followed them already."

"But who took her?" Minori said.

She sighed, sitting down on the end of her bed, gazing at her hands in her lap. "Don't tell anybody," she said, "But Yoshi wasn't training with me. She's been training with her father."

"Her father?" he said, "Who's her father?"

"Itachi Uchiha," Ayame said through gritted teeth.

"Itachi Uchiha?" Minori gasped, "H-he's from… He's from Konohagakure. So Yoshi is an Uchiha? And daughter of the man who's known for _slaughtering_ each and every member of his _own clan_."

She squeezed her eyes closed, pressing her balled fists to her forehead. "He's not a bad guy," she said, "There were legitimate reasons behind every action he took. He's very kind and caring. You'd understand if you met him. What _I_ don't understand is why the hell he decided to take Yoshi? He and I both know that she could be killed if she's with him. I know that he'll do his best to keep her safe but if he has her, he'll probably bring her back. That, or take her to someone else." She began to tremble. What if he did take Yoshi somewhere else? She wasn't needed anymore. She would never see Itachi again. Stifling a sob, she murmured, "Oh Itachi… why are you doing this to me?"

"Ayame," he said quietly, "Can we look for her?"

"No," she said, "Only Chuunin and Jounin and people with permission can leave the village. Neither of us are Chuunin or Jounin and we don't have permission."

"Let's get Mari-sensei!" he said feverishly, "She's a Jounin!"

"No," Ayame said, "They could be anywhere, Minori. Think rationally about this. All we can do is wait and pray." She lifted her gaze to the ceiling. "How I hope she's okay."

•••

Yoshi sat atop of the hotel roof with Itachi. He seemed distant. The stars above danced in the beautiful night sky. She'd had more fun in the past few days than she'd had in her whole life. She managed to pull her gaze away from the sky for a moment to gaze at Itachi. He still seemed distant, gazing up at the sky with the starts dancing elegantly in his dark eyes.

"Father," she said, "What's wrong?"

"I'm afraid we'll have to cut this vacation short," he admitted, "I'm afraid of you being hurt. We'll leave in the morning after breakfast."

Yoshi clenched her hands into fists. "So soon?" she said, "But it's only been three days. What about the other four days that we have together?"

"Before we leave we'll buy things to travel back with," he said, "This time I promise we'll take our time. Last time it took us about two days while we were rushing. If it goes as planned in my head, it should take about three and a half days for us to get back."

Yoshi breathed a sigh of relief. "Good," she said, lifting her gaze towards the sky again, "I want to spend every second that I can with you."

Itachi touched her hand. "You will, Yoshi," he said, "Don't worry about a thing. The rest of this week will be just as fun as the last few days."

She smiled contentedly.

•••

Yoshi awoke to Itachi's shaking her. When her eyes fluttered open, the first thing she saw was the friendly smile on his face. She grinned, sitting up.

"We need to get going right away," he said, "I want to leave before noon."

Yoshi nodded. "Alright," she said, getting to her feet. She went to the bathroom and washed up before returning to the main room. He had boxes of food again. They ate quickly before heading out, checking out of the hotel and taking their things that they'd bought while here. She walked at his side. They stopped and bought a tent, lots of food, and other traveling items. They began they're trip, everything they needed in the new bags they'd gotten. The second they stepped into the forest, Itachi took Yoshi's hand protectively, squeezing it.

"I wish we could do this again," she said, "So that all this stuff we bought won't have to go to waste after this one trip."

"Yes," he said quietly, "But at least you'll be safe."

"Well that's not for certain," she said, "But I'd rather be loved than safe, honestly."

Itachi sighed without answering. He held her hand as they walked into the forest cautiously. Darkness shadowed their path ahead but Yoshi felt safe as long as Itachi was around. She froze suddenly when she felt a looming chakra nearby.

"What is it, Yoshi?" Itachi asked, suddenly alert.

"Someone is near," she said, "Someone is close to us."

Itachi squeezed her hand without letting down his guard. He dropped his bag, grasping Yoshi's hand again immediately, as if he was desperate to keep her safe. Yoshi's gaze couldn't be removed from the gap in the trees straight ahead. As Itachi looked around frantically for someone near, Yoshi could see him. She could see his silhouette. It was the man she saw before, back in town. She clenched Itachi's hand tightly.

"Father," she said, "He's straight ahead."

Without removing her gaze from the man approaching them, she paid close attention to Itachi. Maybe he knew this guy. He validated her theory as he mumbled, "He's…"

"Who is he?" Yoshi said, genuinely interested. Her fear was shallow, yet there. She believed she would be safe with Itachi.

"He's… someone you wouldn't know," Itachi said sternly, standing up straight. His sharingan activated as he gazed at the man ahead. "He's also someone I don't want you to ever get involved with in anyway. Do you see the cloak he wears? If you ever see someone wearing that cloak, avoid them at all costs."

"But why?" Yoshi said, "I understand that they aren't apart of Taki or Konoha by the looks of it, but why are they so threatening?"

"Not to your village," he said, "They won't harm you as long as they don't know you exist."

They both stopped talking as the man stepped closer into hearing range. Yoshi tensed slightly. He looked unique; almost like a shark. He was clad in a black hooded cloak. He seemed like the type to have some tricks up his sleeves. She reached one hand stealthily into her weapon pouch.

"Itachi Uchiha," the man said, "I've been looking for you."

"Why is that?" Itachi said, pushing her behind him by her arm.

The man lifted his hand slowly. Itachi squeezed her arm, preparing himself for a fight. The man touched his own chest and grinned a cheesy grin.

"I'm sure you know who I am but I'll introduce myself anyway," he said, "I'm Suigetsu of Taka. I came to speak with you."

"Speak with me?" Itachi said, puzzled.

"Yes," he said, "I want to speak with you… about Sasuke."

Itachi tensed again, glancing back at Yoshi. "I don't want to hear it," he said.

"Who is Sasuke?" she asked curiously.

Itachi shook his head slowly. "_'Who is Sasuke?'_" Suigetsu quoted her before chuckling, "You're in Konoha with Itachi Uchiha and you don't know who Sasuke is? Where do you live, under a rock?"

Yoshi lifted her gaze towards Itachi. "Father…" she said quietly.

"_Father_?" Suigetsu said before grinning, "I bet Sasuke will _love_ to hear he has a niece now. How old are you? Five or six?"

She grimaced, clenching her hands into fists. "I'm turning thirteen in a few weeks," she snapped, "And who is this Sasuke's niece?"

"Yoshi," Itachi said, "Sasuke is my brother. He's your uncle."


	13. Chapter Twelve

**Chapter Twelve**

Yoshi gazed up at Itachi, a puzzled look on her face. "Who is he?" she said.

Itachi's sharingan flashed and he reached towards her quickly but before she knew it, Suigetsu had lifted her up and pulled her away from Itachi, a kunai to her throat.

"Take a step closer," Suigetsu said, "I'll kill the girl."

"Fine," Itachi said, "What is it that you want to know?"

"I want to know what Sasuke's real goal is," he said, "Tell me what you know."

Itachi's jaw clenched. "His goal?" he said, "Shouldn't that be obvious? I'm sure he told you."

"Of course he did," Suigetsu said, "But why? What does he need Jugo, Karin, and I for?"

"How would I know?" Itachi said, "Those are his motives. I haven't spoken to him in years."

"I know that you know," he said, "And if you don't enlighten me _now_, I'll bring Sasuke back a little present."

Itachi stood up straight and smirked. "You seem confident," he said.

"I'm the one with the girl," he said sternly, "Why do you have that arrogant smile on your face?"

Without responding, Itachi took a step closer as if testing Suigetsu. Suigetsu pressed the blade of the kunai harder against her throat. She gasped, holding on to his wrist in fear. Itachi disappeared and Suigetsu jerked forward suddenly, dropping the kunai. He lifted Yoshi and appeared in the tree branch above their heads. Yoshi held on to him tightly. He was moving so quickly and she was afraid to fall from this height. She couldn't see Itachi. All she knew was that she and Suigetsu were moving very quickly. Her heart raced. She began to struggle and he tightened his grasp on her.

"Stay still," he said sternly.

Unsure of what he did, Yoshi passed out asleep in his arms.

•••

Yoshi's eyes fluttered open. She was on a cold ground, her hands and ankles tied up. She had no idea where they were; all she knew was that there were four other people in this room, gazing down at her. One of them stepped forward. He had black hair and he looked somewhat like Itachi. She sat up, gazing up at him.

"Listen," he said, "Just to make things clear; you're of no worth to me. You're only here as bait. If you act up, we won't hesitate to kill you."

She clenched her jaw. Why was she here? Maybe this was why Itachi didn't want her and Ayame to get involved; to protect them.

"Since he brought you here," he went on, "Suigetsu will take care of you."

"What?" Suigetsu said, "Why me?"

"You were the one who decided to go see Itachi," he said, "You brought this girl back. So it's your duty."

He sighed. "Whatever," he muttered.

•••

Itachi gazed inside of Ayame's window. She couldn't sleep; he could tell by the way she was tossing and turning. But he wasn't sure when to hop in and tell her he'd lost Yoshi. How would she react? He clenched his jaw. He _would_ get her back. It wasn't a maybe. It would definitely happen. He put his hands on the windowsill and slid it open. Ayame's eyes opened slowly. When she saw him she sat up quickly.

"Itachi," she said, "Where is she? Where were you two?"

"I don't know," he said, hopping in and closing the window, "We were in Konoha. She was taken."

"What?" she gasped, "By who?"

"One of Sasuke's teammates," he sighed, "I tried to get her back but I was panicking and he outsmarted me."

She looked just as worried as he felt as she got to her feet and approached him before wrapping her arms around his neck, stroking his hair.

"We'll find her," she said, "Don't blame yourself."

He touched her waist gently before holding her close. He recalled what he'd last said to her; telling her that she was only needed to raise Yoshi and that she wouldn't see him ever again. He only wanted them to be safe. His presence wasn't safe for them; and after today's incident that was clear. Ayame stood up straight, gazing at him. Her pretty eyes shined. She was just too beautiful. He touched her cheek and she suddenly looked mesmerized. He pulled her close to him and kissed her passionately. He traced her lips with the tip of his tongue. How could he even consider leaving this most amazing and most gorgeous girl? She kissed him hard, clenching two handfuls of his shirt in her hands.

"Itachi," she murmured against his lips, "Why did you do that to me?"

"I just didn't want you to be hurt," he whispered in her ear before kissing her neck, "Just the thought of you or Yoshi being hurt makes me feel weak."

"Itachi," she murmured, "Do you love me?"

He held her cheek, kissing her tenderly before softly telling her, "More than you will ever know."

Her eyes grew wide and she kissed him hard, pulling him backwards until she was close enough to lie on the bed, pulling him on top of her.

"I think I'm dreaming," she said as he kissed her neck. He chuckled.

"If this is a dream, it will be one of the best," he responded before pressing his lips to hers.

•••

Itachi gazed up at the ceiling, his arms wrapped firmly around Ayame's bare body. She was finally asleep. Her skin was soft and warm against his hand and her hair, burying his mouth and nose, smelled sweet and endearing. He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. This would be perfect, if only he knew Yoshi was safe and nearby. His heart raced. Where could that Suigetsu have taken her? What if Sasuke had her? Would he hurt her? He sighed, leaning his head back against the pillow. Maybe if he managed to sleep for a few, he could think more clearly.

•••

"What was your name again?" Suigetsu said bitterly, "Was it Yoshi?"

Yoshi nodded, gazing down at her lap. "Yes," she said.

"Alright, Yoshi," he said, "I really don't want to be here, so let's make a deal. If you sit there like a good little girl without asking any questions, then I won't kill you."

Yoshi sighed. "He'll come and get me," she said, "He'll save me."

Suigetsu chuckled. "That's what we want him to do," he said, "That way I can find out stuff."

"Why do you want to know so badly?" she said, "Why is it that you cruel people would go so far as taking me hostage?"

He smiled. "I like to know who I'm working for," he said.

"Selfish," she muttered, "You're selfish, that's what it is. You didn't think about how I would feel if you kidnapped me, or how my father would feel. I'm a _person_. I have family and friends. I have people that care about me."

Gazing at her lap, she didn't see him approaching until he pushed her on her back, kneeling down above her. His hands hit either side of her head with a smack and her eyes were wide, afraid of being hurt.

"Why would I care about a little brat who doesn't know how to shut up?" he said quietly, meeting her gaze directly. She held her breath. "Girls like you annoy me." Her lips tingled. What was this feeling? She couldn't express how she felt when he leaned forward and kissed her hard. It felt so satisfying and so wrong at the same time. Her hands and ankles were tied up so all she could do was kiss him back. He touched her waist as he kissed her tenderly, leading her through the first kiss she'd ever shared with anybody.

It lasted a few long moments. She loved it but it disgusted her at the same time. His hands ran through her hair, holding her face close to his. She arched her back inwards, struggling to free her hands. She wanted to make the kiss last longer and to hold him close. She knew that the way she felt couldn't be a crush, or even on the path of love. All she knew was that she felt the urge to be closer to this boy; she wanted to know every part of him.

When his lips parted from hers, she panted gazing directly into his eyes. "You're disgusting," she said.

He smiled, getting to his feet. "That's not what your eyes say," he said.

"My eyes lie," she muttered.

He chuckled. "Tell yourself that," he said, "Your kiss spoke for itself."

Yoshi smirked as he turned and walked slowly towards the door. He wasn't lying.


	14. Chapter Thirteen

**Chapter Thirteen**

Itachi sighed, gazing out the window. He listened as Ayame climbed out of bed and approached him. Her slender arms delicately made their way around his waist and she rested her head against his shoulder. Where could Yoshi be right now?

"Say we did find Yoshi," Ayame said quietly, "It's obvious that Sasuke has no use for her. The only reason he could want her is to lure you in. I don't know why he thinks he's ready to fight you, though."

"It's not that," Itachi said, "It's that Suigetsu. He wanted information. So he wants to lure me in. It'll probably end up being a trap."

"What if we go together?" she said softly, "I could take the lead and go inside so if there's a trap, they'll think you didn't show up. And then while I distract whoever's guarding her, you can come in and take her."

"No," he said, quickly, "You could get hurt."

"So could you," she said.

He shook his head. "You don't understand," he said, "I _won't_ die if I get hurt. You _could_."

"Or maybe you're letting your arrogance get the better of you," she said.

"No," he said, "You still don't understand."

"Itachi," she murmured, "Even if you don't die, I still _hate_ to see you hurt."

He tucked her under his arm, kissing the top of her head. "Don't worry about me," he said softly.

"I can't help it," she said, "I'm just… so in love with you."

He touched her chin so that she met his gaze before he kissed her tenderly. "I just wish," he sighed, "I had the strength to tell you not to…"

"Why?" she said.

"You're an amazing girl," he said softly, "I hate watching you waste all you have on me, since I'm…"

"You're what?" she said.

"Never mind," he said.

She sighed. "And _I_ wish you would stop keeping things from me," she said.

He shook his head. "It's alright," he said, "You'll learn eventually."

"I'm not a child, Itachi," she said, "I may have less experience than you, but I'm capable of comprehending whatever it is that you have to say."

He smiled. "I know, Ayame," he said softly, "You're a very intelligent woman."

"Why won't you tell me?"

His eyes closed. "Ayame," he murmured, "There are just some things in this world that have to be done. You wouldn't understand until it happens. So just wait. You'll know eventually, I promise."

Ayame sighed deeply. "I'm not too convinced, Itachi," she muttered.

Kissing her forehead, he murmured, "Don't worry, Ayame, you will."

"I hope that's not a lie," she said, gazing at the floor, "I hate it when you lie to me, Itachi."

"It's not a lie," he said.

"Itachi," she said, meeting his gaze, "I love you."

He smiled, pulling her into a hug. "I love you too, Ayame," he said.

He embraced her for a few long moments. "Now come on," he said, "Let's begin our search for clues."

She smiled at him. "Great," she said.

•••

"No, don't touch me like that," Yoshi said, frantically squirming underneath Suigetsu's grasp. His hands explored her body as she struggled to be free. She liked the way he was kissing her; it was the way he touched her that made her nervous.

"You don't like it?" he asked.

"No," she said sternly.

He grinned, kissing her hard as his hands slid under her shirt.

"No!" she exclaimed, her sharingan flashing.

He laughed, sitting up on top of her. "Calm down," he said, "We can't make too much of a mess here or Sasuke will get angry."

"Don't touch me like that ever again," she snapped, "I'm only thirteen; I'm not ready for that kind of stuff."

"Okay," he said, smirking, "I could use that for my advantage."

"Why?" she said, "I can't even do anything to you, I'm all tied up."

"That reminds me," he said, sliding off of her, "Make sure you're a good girl, okay? Because I'm going to untie you."

She nodded, sitting up. "Please," she said, leaning forward. He untied her wrists quickly before untying her ankles.

"Sasuke won't find out," he said.

"Thank you," she muttered, getting to her feet and stretching, "It feels so good to finally move."

"Yoshi," he said.

She did one last stretch before meeting his gaze. She wasn't sure what that look was in his eyes; it looked like attraction and lust at the same time. It was luring. She drew near him and he took her wrists, pulling her closer. He pressed his lips to hers, delicately touching her waist. She smiled against his lips, wrapping her arms around his waist.

"Finally," she said, "I get to touch you."

He kissed her again, as gentle and loving as possible before roughly pulling away, startling her.

"Why did you do that?" she said.

"I'm tired of kissing you now," he said, turning away.

"I wasn't tired of kissing you," she said, putting her hands on her hips.

"Yeah?" he said, "Well I'll kiss you some more later."

"Why not now?" she said.

He paused for a few moments before stammering slightly, "Because you're annoying."

"I'm annoying?" Yoshi snapped, "Hey, you're the one pushing me away because you got tired of kissing me, you jerk."

He grinned. "I'm a jerk now?" he said.

"You've _been_ a jerk," she said, angrily, "Since I first met you, you were a jerk. I don't know why I kissed you in the first place."

"Maybe it's because the nice girls are always attracted to the jerks," he said, "Maybe you should stop being so nice and I'll stop being a jerk."

"What do you want me to do?" she said, pushing his shoulder roughly, "I'm not being nice to you; that's a lame excuse."

He chuckled. "Does it matter anyways?" he said, "Your precious father is coming to get you, isn't he?"

"Exactly," she said, "I won't be able to kiss you later, so why not now?"

"Because the last thing I'd want for you is to get attached," he muttered.

"What's wrong with that?" she said, "We could always see each other when I get home. We could meet halfway."

"You're forgetting something," he said, "We both have the Uchiha brothers breathing down our necks. We won't get too far with that."

She sighed. "Then let's enjoy the time that we have," she said, stepping closer to him and touching his chest, "We don't know when my father will show up."

He grinned. "You'd break the rules for me?" he said, "I like that. We'll see what we can do."

Smiling, Yoshi let him fold her into his arms. She wasn't thinking about how long they've known each other, what her father and Ayame would say, or their well-being in general. She didn't care about anything else. She just wanted things to work out between her and Suigetsu at this point. There was just something about him; something alluring and intense. Something that made her always want to be close to him. She took a deep breath as he kissed her forehead. Did anybody else's opinion matter? She didn't need to worry about Itachi or Ayame. For now, she could just forget about them.


	15. Chapter Fourteen

**Chapter Fourteen**

Ayame was leading the way through the forest. Her thick blonde hair angelically rode the wind behind her as she energetically sprinted ahead of him.

"I swear," she said, "I can feel her. She's not too far from here."

"Wait," Itachi said, "We need a plan. We can't just barge in there."

"Okay," she said, stopping and turning to face him, "What's the plan?"

"I could send in a clone first," he said, "Even if they know it's a clone, at least there will be no surprises."

"Good idea," she said, turning and leading the way again.

•••

Yoshi sat on Suigetsu's lap. Since she'd never had a boyfriend before, she hadn't kissed any guys before so he'd taken it upon himself to teach her.

"Like this?" she said softly as she graphically kissed him the way he taught her.

"Perfect," he said, "I taught you well."

She smiled. "Yes, you did," she said.

He suddenly gazed around, stiffening. "What?" he said quietly.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"I think… they're here," he said.

"Already?" Yoshi said, getting to her feet, "I… I don't want to go. What should we do?"

He sighed, "I don't know. What if you told them the truth?"

"I really don't know what they'd do," she said, "I don't think my father would approve at all."

"Let's try," he said, "If not…"

"It hasn't been enough time, though," Yoshi said, "I want to spend more time with you."

He smirked suddenly. "I thought I was a jerk," he said.

"You _are_ a jerk," she snapped, "Because whenever I say or do something sweet for you, you always ruin it by saying something like _that_."

"Maybe you shouldn't let those sweet things happen," he said.

"I'm trying to show you that I _like_ you, do you _want_ me to change that?" she said.

He put the palm of his hand on her head. "You're so young," he said, "Maybe if you grow up a little, you'd understand."

"Grow up a little?" she said, angrily, "I'm not the one ruining every moment we have! And, mind you, I'm not that much younger than you. So just shut your trap and quit being such a jerk."

He laughed. "There goes that word again," he said.

"What's wrong with it?" Yoshi said, "Does it anger you?"

"So what if it does?" he said.

She smirked, bending forward and putting her face close to his. "You are a jerk," she said slowly, "_Jerk!_"

He gave her an angry look before turning away and smiling. "I know it's only been a few days now," he said, "But you're not the same girl you were when you came. You're crueler now."

"Crueler?" she said, standing up straight, "Are you kidding me? I'm the same girl I was, you just bring the bad side of me out."

"Oh, really?" he said, "So I'm sure that incredible kissing talent you have is your bad side, correct? Try not to bring that out around other guys."

Yoshi scowled at him when an echoing noise sounded from above them. The ceiling shook and began caving in.

"Look out!" Suigetsu called, diving forward and yanking Yoshi out of the way of the falling rubbish. She used her arm to cover her eyes until it finally settled. She peeked out and found herself gazing up at Itachi. Instead of the urge to throw herself in his arms like she had originally expected herself to do, she felt neutral. She wanted to stay with Suigetsu. Itachi held out his hand and she gazed at it with a blank expression on her face.

"Father," she said, "I… I don't want to go."

"What?" he said, "But… Yoshi… do you realize how much trouble we went through to get to you?"

She sighed. "I'm sorry," she said, "But I've found my place here, with Suigetsu. I don't want to leave."

"Suigetsu?" he said, a disgusted look on his face.

"No!" Ayame's voice said from above. She leaped down to join them, gathering Yoshi in her arms, "No! Yoshi, you're _not_ staying! Come to your senses! Where are you more likely to _die_? Where are you more likely to be happy?"

"I'm sorry," she said, prying Ayame's hands off of her, "I just… I can't. I want to stay."

"But… but Yoshi," Ayame said, tears welling in her eyes, "What am I… supposed to do without you?"

Itachi tucked Ayame under his arm for comfort.

"I'm sorry, really," Yoshi said, "Maybe I'll visit."

"No," Ayame said sharply, "You have two options, Yoshi. You come like the good little girl I know you are and you stay in Takigakure or you forever stay with this scum, and you can never see me or Itachi or anybody in the village again."

Yoshi gazed up at Ayame, her eyes wide. What kind of choice was that? She then smiled, dropping her gaze. She felt so sorrowful. "Then goodbye," she said, turning away.

"Yoshi!" Ayame gasped, "Oh, Yoshi, no… No!"

"Yes," Yoshi said, "Just go, Ayame. You're making a fool of yourself. We're not even related."

Ayame gasped again. Her heavy breathing was coming out shaky. "Yoshi, _you're_ the fool," she said, "Itachi… talk some sense into your daughter!"

"I don't see what else there is to say," he said, "Clearly she has her heart set on this. We're not in any position to change her mind."

"Thank you," Yoshi said.

"Itachi, no!" she said, "Are you both out of your minds?"

"Ayame, let's go," he said. When she struggled, he gathered her in his arms and left.

•••

"Itachi," Ayame said, "Put me down!" She struggled until she was certain he wasn't going to set her down. She elbowed him in the throat and he dropped her, the clone disappearing. She felt like a mess, stomping towards the tree, tears pouring down her face. She felt like she was struggling to hold herself together. Once she reached the tree, she roughly grasped two handfuls of Itachi's top. "Are you out of your damn mind?" she angrily shouted at him, "Yoshi is a thirteen year old girl! What the hell does she know? She could end up badly hurt or even killed! What kind of father are you, leaving your young daughter with a group of maniacs? That doesn't even include that maniacal brother of yours; oh, his insanity is just skyrocketing by the minute!" She stopped suddenly when she realized the look on Itachi's face. She'd only ever seen this look on his face once before. His eyes were filled with sorrow. Silent tears streamed down his face. The last time he'd had this look on his face was when he approached her with an infant Yoshi only days before he was required to slaughter his entire family. He truly did love Yoshi; no matter how much trouble he had showing it. "Oh, Itachi," she murmured, her entire body falling into convulsions, "Why? Why did you let her do it?"

"I had to," he said through clenched teeth, "She wanted to stay. I couldn't stand to go against her will."

"Really?" she said, her voice breathy, "What about Sasuke? You love your younger brother, don't you? You pushed him to the end of the earth and back, yet you're not even willing to make your precious daughter let go of these fake emotions she feels for that shark-boy."

"You wouldn't understand," he said quietly, "He's my brother; she's my daughter. I'm supposed to push my brother but… it just breaks my heart so much to see Yoshi upset. I would give her the world if that's what she wanted."

"Well, you _can't_ give her the world, Itachi," Ayame said, "Maybe you need to learn how to get over your sensitivity towards her and learn how to be a father. Just as she said, I'm not a relative of hers. You're the closest kin she has, out of you and Sasuke. She _needs_ you. You're not playing a game, this is your daughter's _life_. If you mess up even _once_, you could drive her down a path of insanity, like Sasuke. You're not very good at walking people down the right paths, Itachi. Maybe you should just stick to what's right from now on, versus what you want."

"Ayame, you don't understand," he said, "You don't love Yoshi like I do. If you did, you'd know full well why I can't take this happiness away from her."

The stinging slap she gave him seemed to echo. It left a red mark on his cheek. She put her hands on her hips as he gathered what she had done to him.

"Don't you dare tell me I don't love Yoshi like you do," she said, "Tell me again, Itachi, _who_ was the one who raised Yoshi from an infant and who was the one who showed up in her life not too long ago, and only caused a mess of her life since then? Maybe you need to work on your distinctive skills because clearly you're incapable of telling the difference."

He touched his cheek. "Ayame…" he murmured, "Sometimes… you can just be so stupid."


	16. Chapter Fifteen

**Chapter Fifteen**

"Who the hell are you talking to like that, Itachi?" Ayame snapped, "Why are you calling me stupid?"

"Tell me something," he said, "If you were growing up completely ignorant as to who you really were and all you really had to rely on was someone you _thought_ was your sister, would you be happy? And what if you found someone to make you happy and the man who told you he was your father but you hardly knew him tried to take that away from you; would you like that?"

"Well, no… but like I said, she doesn't know any better," Ayame protested, "She's at _that_ age. She doesn't know what she wants right now. I was like her once; hung up on a guy I hardly knew when I was still young."

"Yeah," he said, "And you fell for him."

"I did," she said, "But now I'm beginning to think that wasn't such a good idea after all."

"Ayame," he said quickly as she turned away.

"No," she said, "I'm done, Itachi. How many times have you broken my heart before? This is it. I love Yoshi but if you want to raise her yourself from now on, if you get her back, then good for you. I wish you both the best." She began to walk away.

"Ayame," he said, his voice shaky, "I'm sorry… I'm… so sorry. I'm so in love with you…" he put his hand over his chest, "It goes so deep… Please don't walk away from me, Ayame. You're all I have left right now."

Ayame sighed. "Itachi," she said, "I don't know if I believe you. I love you but you need to get things together. Come and talk to me when you're sure."

She disappeared, appearing in a high above tree. She began to leap through the trees towards her home. Tears streamed down her face. She longed to go back and take back what she said but it was too late now. Her heart was pounding so hard that she trembled with each pulse. Once she finally couldn't take it anymore, she stopped, caving in on herself. She fell into convulsions, sobbing.

"Itachi," she murmured, "Yoshi… Why do things have to turn out like this?"

•••

"Suigetsu, I feel terrible," Yoshi said quietly, "I wish I could take it back but… at the same time I don't want to."

"Yoshi," he sighed, "Don't even question what you said to them. All they'll ever do for you is hold you back."

"I know," I said, "I'll get over it. No worries." She forced a smile. He cocked his head to one side.

"I don't like that smile," he said, "I can tell it's fake."

She sighed. "Whatever," she muttered, "Where should we go? Sasuke's not going to be happy about this, and obviously we can't go to my place."

He held it his hand. "Let's just go away from here," he murmured, "Somewhere where we don't have to worry about anybody else."

A smile stretched across her face as she gazed at his hand. She delicately placed her hand in his and a chilly gust of wind struck past them. Her hair was lifted angelically as she met his gaze. His cheeks turned pink and he smiled. This was a side of him she hadn't seen before. He squeezed her hand and gestured towards the opening in the ceiling. They ran, hand-in-hand, before jumping outside together. They dashed in the opposite direction that her father and Ayame had gone. She grinned, feeling good with her hand warmly clenching Suigetsu's, the cool wind embracing her face and lifting her hair. She glanced at Suigetsu from the corner of her eye. He looked just as at ease as she felt. They hurried towards the setting sun without worrying at all about where they were going. All they desired was freedom.

•••

Yoshi sipped her warm tea, comfortably seated with a blanket around her shoulders. She and Suigetsu were staying at a lovely hotel near Konoha. She had just walked away from her entire life for this boy; she felt so sure that she'd made the right decision. Maybe it was time for her to grow up, despite her young age.

She felt Suigetsu's hands touch her shoulders from behind. He took a deep breath, his breath caressing the crane of her neck warmly.

"Are you okay?" he asked, "You look a little pale."

"I'm fine," she reassured, "Don't worry. It's just coming back as a shock to me; what we did."

"I see," he said quietly, "But if you change your mind, it's okay. I'm sure you'll always be welcomed back."

"No," she said quickly, shaking her head before drinking the last of her tea. She turned, the bed creaking slightly as she gazed at him warmly. "I don't want to go back," she said.

He gazed at her, a deep look in his eyes before looking away, his gaze hardening again as he chuckled. "What a shame," he said, "I might want to get rid of you one day."

"There you go again!" she exclaimed, pushing him roughly. He gently took her forearms as she jerked herself away from him and his hands slid to hers. On her feet now, she gazed at him as her flipped her hands so that he was gazing at her palms. "What?" she said, defensively.

"Nothing," he said, still smiling, "I'm just making sure you actually exist."

The room was only dimly lit, which only made this all the more romantic. Thunder rumbled outside as rain pounded the outside of their room. The dim light in the room reflected in his soft gaze as he gazed up at her.

"Making sure I exist?" she said puzzled, "What do you mean?"

He pulled her on to his lap, wrapping his arms around her waist. His lips gently met her cheek and she felt numb.

"I mean," he said softly, leaning his forehead against her head, his nose brushing against her ear, "You're just too good to be true. How did I get so lucky?"

She could feel her heart racing. She'd never expected him to saw anything like that to her; but here he was, whispering it to her ever so softly like nothing else in the world mattered. Butterflies tickled her stomach as she let him fold her into his arms, lying down. He curled his body around her, on his side, resting his forehead against the top of her head. She entwined her knees with his, her smile imprinted on her face.

•••

The thunder roared overhead. Ayame leaned against her home, her arms and ankles crossed as she gazed down at the floor. Tears fell from her chin, blending with the rain as it began to bead the floor. She felt empty. The two things she loved the most in the world were gone now; so what was left? She squeezed her eyes closed, clenching her hands to fists. Yoshi chose to leave and Itachi had it coming.

"Didn't find Yoshi?"

Ayame lifted her gaze quickly at the sound of Mari's voice. Her gaze found Mari's dark silhouette not too distant from her. She approached slowly, another male figure behind her. Once they came closer, she made out Minori's face. Dark circles enclosed his eyes, which were dull and lifeless.

"No," Ayame said quietly, her gaze falling to the floor, "I didn't."

"Well you'll get sick if you stay out here," Mari said taking Ayame's wrist. She led Ayame and Minori inside the home. "You two should change," she said, "You're sure to catch a fever in those clothes."

It wasn't long before Minori was wearing some of Itachi's left behind clothing and Ayame was wearing a warm sweater and pajamas. Ayame was curled up on the end of the chair she sat in and Minori sat in the center of it, his shoulders slumped forward. Mari returned from the kitchen with a tray of warm tea and snacks. She set a little bowl and cup in front of Minori and another in front of Ayame on the table.

"Eat," she demanded to both of them, "Starving yourselves won't bring her back."

Ayame and Minori obeyed, nibbling slowly on the snacks and taking small sips of tea.

"Ayame," Mari said, kneeling down beside her, "Tell me what really happened. Just yesterday, you were confident about finding her, and you had Itachi. What happened?"

Ayame gazed numbly at her cup of tea which warmed her hands, but evaded her heart. She took a deep breath, closing her eyes.

"That stupid girl," she spat, "She… she said…" Ayame felt Minori's gaze find her from her side. She glanced at him through the corner of her eye. A glimmer of hope was glazed over his hazel-green gaze. She knew what happened would shatter him. "She said she didn't want to come back," Ayame sighed, closing her eyes, "She has a crush on one of Sasuke's teammates and she's decided to runaway with him. She told me so herself."


	17. Chapter Sixteen

**Chapter Sixteen**

"What?" Mari breathed in astonishment.

The sound of glass shattering echoed throughout the room. Ayame lifted her gaze towards Minori. His glass was in shards, scattered all across the floor. His eyes were wide, gazing at his lap.

"She's… gone?" he murmured, half to himself. He bit his lip, tears filling his eyes. "Typical of me," he muttered, "I always aim too high and end up falling on my ass… Why did I have to fall in love with her, though?"

Mari took Ayame's hand and squeezed it. "Ayame," she said, "This is serious. What about Itachi? Where is he? Why isn't he helping you?"

"I left him," Ayame muttered, "He said it's okay that Yoshi didn't want to come back, although he wasn't happy with it. She gets her stupidity from him, clearly."

"You left him?" Mari said, "Ayame, this is _not_ okay! We have to do something. Where do you think she could have gone?"

"It doesn't matter now," Ayame said, "No matter how much I wish we could have her back, it's just too much to ask for now. She's decided to stay with Suigetsu; there's nothing we can do now."

"No," Mari said, "This is stupid, Ayame. We have to get her back."

Ayame bit her lip, adverting her gaze. "Stupid?" she said quietly, "Huh. Déjà vu."

"Ayame, listen to me," she said, "We could talk some sense into that girl. She doesn't seem to understand what she's doing."

"I told you, it's too late now," Ayame said, "I told her that she can't come back if she decides to stay with him. She chose the latter."

"So you've really given up?" Mari said, narrowing her eyes. When Ayame didn't respond, Mari got to her feet. "Seriously, Ayame, this is the lowest I've ever seen you." She approached Minori and sat on the edge of his seat, wrapping her arms around his convulsing shoulders.

"It's not like it matters anyway," Ayame said, closing her eyes, "Itachi's gone and Yoshi doesn't care about me anymore. The two most important things in my life, gone… just like that." Ayame clutched a handful of her shirt, feeling sick. She was nothing now. Down to the core; just empty.

"Ayame," Mari said softly, "I know it hurts, but you have to be strong. Look at Minori. You're not the only one who's lost someone tonight."

•••

Yoshi sat at the end of the bed, gazing out the window. The curtains were drawn and the sun shone through the window, warming her skin. She felt warm from head to toe. The only thing she wished she could have at the moment was Ayame and Itachi. Being so near Konoha, she didn't miss Taki. Being with Suigetsu, she didn't miss her friends. The only thing she was at loss of was family. She sighed. When would she be able to shake these thoughts?

"Hey."

She felt as if her heart had stopped. That voice. How did he get here? She spun around and found herself face-to-face with Suigetsu. She gasped in relief, sweat beading her forehead.

"Is something wrong?" he chuckled.

She shook her head. "No," she said, "I'm sorry; I just thought you were someone else for a second."

She couldn't shake it; she could've sworn that she heard Minori's voice when he entered. Suigetsu smiled sheepishly and leaned in towards her for a kiss. She began to squint, preparing to close her eyes. She was gazing at hazel eyes shadowed by dirty blonde hair. Her heart clenched. She missed him. She closed her eyes and let Suigetsu kiss her, telling herself mentally it was Minori. After a few savored moments, he slowly began pulling away and her eyes fluttered open. She wasn't gazing at Minori.

"I got some breakfast," he said, smiling, as he lifted up a paper to-go bag, "It's your favorite."

Yoshi smiled. "You got teriyaki with noodles?" she said.

He nodded. "Just for you," he said.

She felt the sudden urge to eat sushi. Why did the thought of eating sushi make her feel warm, though? Oh, that's right; it's Minori's favorite. She sat down anyways and forced herself to eat the food that Suigetsu got. Once she'd devoured every last bite of her meal, she tossed her and Suigetsu's plates in the garbage, taking her seat across from him again. He reached across the table and took her hands.

"You're so pretty," he said, smiling delicately.

She blushed, looking away.

"You know," he said, "I've never really felt this way about anybody before. I think… I think I'm falling."

Yoshi bit her lip. She was beginning to have second thoughts. Maybe she should've gone back with Ayame and Itachi. She held her breath, meeting Suigetsu's hopeful gaze, which was emphasized by the sunlight pouring through the window.

"Suigetsu," she said quietly, "There's something you should know…"

His smile faded, his interest piqued. She closed her eyes taking a deep breath when she suddenly felt someone take hold of her shoulders from behind.

"Time's up, Itachi," a familiar voice said in her ear, "I gave you seven days. It took me some extra days to find the bait, and she's still all you're spending your time on. Time to go."


	18. Chapter Seventeen

**Chapter Seventeen**

Yoshi's eyes fluttered open. Where was she? The floor below her was cold. She trembled; this room was so dark. Her vision was blurring and her body felt heavy, but she forced herself to sit up. She rubbed her eye. It was extremely dim.

A figure stepped into her blurred gaze, approaching her. He looked like Minori. Her lips trembled as she reached towards him. Her breathing was shaky.

"Minori?" she murmured, "Is that you?"

He knelt down in front of her. "You're a tough one, aren't you?" he said, "Forcing yourself out of that jutsu. Although I guess I expected nothing less from someone with the name Uchiha bestowed on them."

"Minori," she said softly, "I-I missed you so much!"

"Shh," he said, covering her mouth with one hand holding the back of her neck to lay her down on the floor, "Just sleep. You're still too much in the jutsu."

His touch was gentle and warm. He even smelled like Minori. She touched his knee on the floor beside her head. She let her heavy eyelids close and was enveloped in blackness.

•••

Ayame clenched her bottle of sake. It was only her first bottle but she planned to drink plenty more while Mari comforted Minori in a motherly way in the living room. She drank it quickly, closing her eyes. It made her feel better. There was a knock on her window. She turned gracefully to find herself gazing at Itachi. She smiled mischievously before chugging the bottle and turning, showing she wasn't planning to open it. The window opened the next second and he was jumping in.

"Ayame," he said, "Yoshi was taken."

She squeezed the bottle in her hand. The sound of his voice seemed to engulf her. She turned to face him slowly.

"Taken?" she stammered, "Again?"

He nodded. "Please, we have to do something," he said quickly.

"Wait, by who?" she said.

"The Akatsuki," he said slowly.

"So," she said, "This is your fault, then?"

His gaze hardened. "No, it's not," he said, "It was because she left with Suigetsu. If she didn't do that, this wouldn't have happened."

"What would the Akatsuki want with Suigetsu and Yoshi?" she said, "It's obvious that they only went after her because of you."

"I know that," he said, "But I could've protected her if she didn't runaway to be with Suigetsu. We have to save her."

"Okay," she sighed, setting her bottle of sake down, "Fine. Where are we going?"

"The Akatsuki hideout," he said.

"What? No way!" Mari's voice said as she entered the room, a bewildered look on her face, "I won't let you take Ayame there."

"It's for Yoshi's safety," Itachi said.

"Then I'll go instead," Mari said, "You can't just break Ayame's heart and then barge in here expecting her to help you. I'll go, for Yoshi."

"No, wait," Ayame said, "All three of us can go. I want to find Yoshi too."

"No arguing then," Mari said, "I want to go but I don't wanna hear it."

"Okay," Ayame said, "That's fine with me since I planned on avoiding talking to him anyways."

"Alright then," Mari said, "That's probably for the best. Let's go."

The two girls followed Itachi out of the window and they quickly entered the forest so that Itachi wouldn't be seen as they leaped from tree to tree, searching for Yoshi.

•••

Yoshi's eyes fluttered open and she gazed around to find that she was in a cellar of some sort... or at least, that was what it looked like. She sat up.

"Minori?" she said, vaguely recalling seeing Minori, "Are you in here?"

She attempted to stand but realized she was tied up again.

"Where the hell am I?" she said loudly, her voice echoing in the room she was in, off of the hard dark walls.

A door opened and that man with the mask she recognized while she was with Itachi entered and approached her; as he got closer, she realized he had the sharingan as well.

"You're awake finally," he said, "I was worried I'd killed you already. Anyway listen to me. You're going to die, but I just want Itachi to come and we can hear his excuse together. I'll take those eyes of yours and store them somewhere safe for you."

"Why are you going to kill me though?" she exclaimed, feeling terrified, "I didn't do anything!"

"You're a nuisance," he said, "Itachi spends too much time on you, whether he's around you or whether he's near you. Itachi's very strong and a great help to the Akatsuki, so I couldn't kill him. You however, are nothing. You're just a weak little Takigakure genin and you know what? No one even knows you exist. Think about how many people know who you really are. Itachi is ashamed of you."

"That's not true," she spat through gritted teeth, "He loves me."

"Oh yeah?" the masked man said, "Where is he now? He knows you're here. He knows where this is. He's known for nearly a day. Don't you think he would have come to get you?"

She held her breath, gazing around. What if it wasn't a lie? What if he was telling the truth? She shook her head quickly, pushing those thoughts away. "He's coming," she said, "I just know it."

"You can go ahead and think that," he said, "but even if you were right, do you actually care about him? He hasn't been in your life long, I know that."

"I do," she said, "No question about it."

"Would you still love him if you knew he was a coldblooded murderer?" he said and she gazed up at him wide-eyed.

"You're lying," she said.

"Am I?" he said, "Have you wondered why he concealed your existence from Konoha? Have you wondered why he became rogue? Has it even crossed your mind that you've never met an Uchiha besides for him and Sasuke? He's a coldblooded murderer."

"What the hell are you talking about?" she snapped, "I've had enough of this. This is my _father_ you're talking about."

"It is," he said, "but I guess he hasn't told you the reason behind any of this."

"Well, then, what is it?" she said.

The masked man gazed at her for a long period of time before sighing. "It'll break your little heart," he said.

"Just tell me," she pressed.

"Your very father," he said, "Slaughtered his own family."


	19. Chapter Eighteen

**Chapter Eighteen**

"Look at him. He thinks he's _so cool_. You can just tell. I would tell him to slow down but he doesn't deserve my words."

Mari heaved an exasperated sigh as she walked at Ayame's side, her arms crossed over her chest and her gaze straight ahead. She was clearly intolerant for Ayame's BS at the moment. Ayame, herself, could see it but she couldn't stop babbling about how irritated she was with Itachi, meanwhile he walked far ahead, still within earshot however. Ayame pouted, her brow furrowed. She couldn't lie; it honestly hurt. It hurt to know that he wasn't even bothered by the fact that Ayame was angry with him and it made her feel like he'd already forgotten about her. She could feel her heart lurching in her chest at the thought. She wanted to honestly be angry with him but it was difficult when he seemed so unfazed by it.

"We're close," Itachi informed.

"We need to think of a plan," Mari said, "We can't just barge in there and expect them not to mercilessly take our lives. What are we going to do?"

Itachi stopped, turning to face them at her notion and Mari and Ayame stopped in sync, and they all faced each other at Mari's statement. Ayame could feel her heart pounding in her chest at this whole situation; at Itachi standing so close to her side, at the fact that they were planning to break into an Akatsuki hideout, and at Yoshi being captured somewhere inside, and possibly already dead by now. The thought made her shudder, and she gazed down at her feet, eager to think of a plan. Her blonde hair fell forward from her shoulders, blocking her view of Itachi and Mari's feet.

"Whatever we decide to do," Itachi sighed, "It has to be done and thought of quickly because I don't know how much time we have left, or if we have any time at all..."

Ayame could hear the shake in his voice in the last part of his sentence and she clenched her hands into fists, praying that Yoshi would be okay. If anything happened to Yoshi, she wasn't sure what she would do. It would hurt, that was for sure. She could only see herself falling into a state of depression and getting to the point where she wouldn't leave her room anymore and she would end up dying in there but she didn't want to think about that, nor did she want to think about anything happening to Yoshi.

"Considering the amount of skill the Akatsuki members have, clones are out of the question," Mari pondered, "What else could we do? Assuming there are actually many members in there."

"It's unlikely that there are too many in there," Itachi said, "At this time, they're probably out in search of Jinchuuriki. I just don't want to risk it."

"They're expecting you, right?" Ayame softly said, "Why don't you go in there casually? I'll send in a butterfly after you so that we can see where you are and what you're doing and then once you're ready, we'll break in from above."

The silence that settled in made Ayame uncomfortable as she shifted her weight to one side, popping out her knee before lifting her chin. Itachi was gazing at her blankly as he ran the plan through in his mind and Mari was also gazing at Itachi, awaiting what he would say next. Ayame forced herself not to blush under the warmth of his gaze before he began nodding slowly.

"That sounds reasonable," he concluded, "Okay, give me a butterfly."

Ayame nodded, doing a few quick hand signs before saying, "Butterfly watch jutsu." A tiny black butterfly emerged from her hand and she set it on Itachi's shoulder before meeting his gaze. She could feel herself practically radiating the love she had for this man; this man who had pushed her to the end of the world and back, this man who was always quick to push her away just when she was sure he felt the same way, this man who carried the world on his shoulders and wouldn't dare let her even help him sustain himself. He was the man who took her innocence and he was the man who gave her happiness. Just seeing him smile could light up her whole world and seeing him cry made her want to tear out her heart. She was in love with him, and that's all there was to it.

"The hide out is just up ahead," he said, "Just follow me."

Ayame and Mari both nodded, following him closely, Ayame's butterfly still nestled on Itachi's shoulder. She felt almost envious of it to get to be so close to him and that it can feel his warmth. She missed his warmth and the way he felt wrapped around her waist late at night while they shared the same bed or the way he felt while they were entwined. She wanted just to kiss him one more time so badly that it hurt but she didn't say anything due to her damn pride. Her gaze traced the perfect shape of his body against the setting sunlight, the storm clouds from earlier in the day nearly fading, like faded gray paint on the beautiful orange-pink-violet canvas that was the sky. He was flawless. If he had any flaws, they'd probably already converted to pros in her mind.

The three of them drew closer to a stone-built hide out inside of a cave and Itachi gestured them to leap over on top of it, unseen and unheard as they concealed their chakra and Itachi went inside through the front.

"Keep watch," Ayame whispered to Mari, who nodded and did a shadow clone, each standing on either side of Ayame to keep watch. Ayame knelt down and buried her face into her hands as she focused as hard as she could on her butterfly, virtually trading places with it. She couldn't feel anything but she could see and hear.

All she heard was Itachi's footsteps at this point and the coast was clear. But she knew he was angry.

•••

"You're lying!" Yoshi exclaimed, shaking her head. Slaughtered the clan? No way. The gentle, loving, caring Itachi would never kill the people he loved, the people that raised him. He seemed like too much of a family man to do an outrageous thing like that. Who did this masked man think Yoshi was? Some simpleton who would believe a ridiculous thing like that? She gritted her teeth and sneered at him furiously.

"That's a mean face there," he chuckled, "You better calm down! You might hurt me!" He laughed at his own joke before gazing at her somberly. "It's true, Yoshi," he disclosed, "Your precious father killed off everyone; his cousins, his aunts and uncles, the people who supported him to the end, his lover, id est your mother, and he even murdered his own parents. Ask anybody. You're honestly the last person to find out about this."

Was it true? It made sense; it could be the reason why she had to live in Takigakure, and the reason why he and Ayame were so secretive about everything, and the reason why he'd tried to stay away from her her whole life. It was to protect her from the truth... right? No, no, there was no way something like this could be true. Itachi would never do something like that in cold blood.

The masked man sat up straight, breathing a chuckle and nodding. "Speak of the devil," he muttered, "Daddy's coming to rescue you."

"I told you he would," she snapped, "And I don't believe you. There's no way he would do something like that in cold blood. If he did kill them off then there was a reason. I trust him."

The masked man shrugged, getting to his feet before pulling Yoshi to hers as well, spinning her around so that her back was to his chest and stroking her throat with his fingernail. She felt panicked; she didn't want to die, she wasn't ready. She wanted to apologize to Ayame and Itachi for what she'd said to them and she wanted to see Minori one last time and she wanted to apologize to Suigetsu for wasting his time. She was only thirteen and dying wasn't something she wanted to accomplish at this age.

Yoshi braced herself as the door ahead fell open and Itachi stood there, angrily, his sharingan flashing in the dark room.

"Well, well," the masked man scoffed, "we've been waiting for you Itachi. I told your precious little girl something interesting about you."

Itachi's gaze fell on Yoshi and softened immediately. He had a hint of regret in his eyes and his expression revealed exactly how he felt about not trying to stop Yoshi from going after Suigetsu.

"Daddy," Yoshi murmured, her voice high-pitched and desperate, "is it true? Did you kill them?"

Even with his sharingan masking his eyes, she could still see his heart virtually breaking. He almost looked as if he would cry but he still stood tall, ready to kill at a moment's notice to protect his daughter.

"I did," he said hesitantly, meeting her gaze firmly. Yoshi gazed up at her father, her hands trembling while tied behind her back and her eyes were wide with shock. Her lips moved in an attempt to make out words but she couldn't manage to while gazing at him, imagining him slaughtering innocent people.

"But... why?" she managed to say, her voice breathy, "Why did you do it? There has to be a reason!"

Itachi lifted his gaze to the masked man behind her looking confident yet angry, his hands clenched into tight fists, looking ready to pounce at any given moment. His gaze returned slowly to Yoshi, examining her expression.

"Now is not the time to speak of this," he murmured, shaking his head.

The masked man chuckled under his breath. "Are you sure?" he jeered, "The girl will die here and you don't want to tell her your big secret, Itachi?" He laughed and she could feel his chest vibrating as he laughed. "Give me one reason I should let this girl live."

"She has nothing to do with this, _Tobi,_" Itachi snapped, "She's not our target. I was planning on just taking her back to Taki and leaving her."

Yoshi nibbled on her lip, feeling almost used although she expected it; that after they'd had their fun he would drop her off at home and she would probably never see him again. She could feel her heart lurch at the thought. She'd known all along that this would happen but she hadn't exactly processed it mentally until now.

"How about this?" Tobi said, "I'll let her live, on one condition. I confiscate her eyes."

Itachi was practically snarling. "Leave her alone. Her eyes are under developed anyway. They wouldn't be of any good use to us."

Yoshi stiffened as Tobi's hand clenched her bottom jaw and his other hand held the side of her head, preparing to snap her neck at any given moment. She gasped, struggling in his grasp and he held her tighter to keep her still and he laughed again as she tilted her head up to gaze at the masked man behind her, terrified.

"Then we have no use for her," Tobi sighed at an attempt to sound sympathetic, "You might wanna look away, Itachi. You don't wanna watch your _little girl_ leave this world, do you?"

Within the next second, Itachi was running towards them so quickly it was difficult to see him but he slammed into the both of them and everything went black.


	20. Chapter Nineteen

_**Note:**_** I probably should have mentioned this at the start of this fic but it's sort of like a timewarp because Itachi and Yoshi are technically like seven years apart but he was thirteen when she was born, so just pretend it's normal. Also I have absolutely no idea what I want to do because I really want to have a happy ending but at the same time I don't want to completely destroy the plot in Naruto (aka Itachi dying) so bear with me for a while .**

* * *

Yoshi awoke, feeling warm and comfortable, so much so that she didn't even want to open her eyes as she laid there in what felt like a cot. She only opened her eyes when she heard a stifled sob, lifting her head to see Ayame leaning against the wall and gazing up at the light, tears streaming down her face. She looked like a hot mess with her makeup rubbed all over her face and her eyes red and puffy and her hair was a mess atop of her head. Her hands were on her knees, which were drawn to her chest and her clothes had stains of blood on them; she truly looked broken-hearted.

"Ayame?" Yoshi's voice just barely escaped her lips above a whisper, her voice as high-pitched as a small child's. Genuine worry came over her for the girl, watching as she cried without even acknowledging that Yoshi had even spoken as if she were too drowned in her own sorrow that she couldn't hear. Then a chilling thought found its way into Yoshi's mind. "Ayame, where's my father?"

Ayame's gaze finally fell on her before shaking her head, her trembling hands falling to the floor and she shifted her weight on to her knees before crawling towards Yoshi. Gazing into her eyes like this, Yoshi could see that Ayame was terrified; why, she didn't know. Ayame tucked herself into Yoshi's cot and wrapped her arms around her head, bawling into her hair. Yoshi was completely puzzled but she returned her embrace.

"Yoshi," Ayame bawled, "Oh, Yoshi... Why do you have such a stupid father, huh? Why do things always have to be like this? Why do I always have to be the one who's waiting and worrying and hurting? Why does he have to give everything up when I've spent the better years of my life building it all up? Why do I have to go through this? I'm a fool. I should never have believed a word he said. He probably just used me to take care of you and to please himself. I bet he feels nothing towards me like he said he did. He doesn't care about me."

Yoshi said nothing, holding Ayame closer, while still in confusion as to what actually happened. She didn't want to speak out of fear of making her feel worse, and that aside what could she say without actually knowing the situation? She couldn't. All she could do was hug her sister until things could be okay.

Mari held up a hand to protect her face from the thrashing her hair was doing in compliance with the wind as her eyes darted back and forth in search of enemies, her senses alert. Itachi sat at the other side of the entrance of the underground hideout they'd found and claimed, seeming too focused on the part on his chest where Ayame had healed his wounds.

"What happened down there?" Mari loudly said against the howling loud winds.

Itachi was silent for a few, long moments, fingering the hole in his shirt where he was cut, a nearly life threatening wound that Ayame healed without a struggle. Ayame truly was amazing. When Itachi continued to hesitate, Mari prepared to repeat herself just in case he hadn't heard but he finally replied. "I told Ayame that it's best if we stay apart because, for one, this could happen again and it could happen to her and also because she and I both know that my life isn't going to last very much longer."

Mari gazed at him with a puzzled expression on her face, as she wondered why he would need to die. Once he caught the expression on her face, he sighed, shaking his head. "Sasuke is out there, getting stronger and one day he will kill me. It's better if Ayame lets go of me now rather than having to deal with that later."

Mari laughed, the wind carrying her laugh away so that she knew it was much quieter for him than it was for her. He gazed at her questionably and she shook her head. "Ayame will never let go of you. She didn't let go of you for a little more than twelve years, and you expect her to get over you before then, whenever that will be? You know she won't be able to do that. You and I both know that she will cry herself to sleep every night waiting for you, even if you're dead. I never thought I'd be able to say this to anyone, but Ayame needs you, Itachi. Ever since you put Yoshi in her care, she's been different. Whenever I'm around her, she acts a little off than she was before you came into her life. She's only ever herself when you're around. I've known that girl for a long, long time and I know for sure that no one has ever been able to capture her like you did; she's taken with you."

Itachi leaned back with a sigh, gazing up at the night sky, the stars dancing in his dark eyes. He looked distressed and Mari could tell he truly cared for Ayame, no matter how much trouble he had showing it. Star-crossed lovers, she concluded. The look on Itachi's face showed that he longed for things to be different so that they could be together but they weren't different. "I know she won't," he sighed, "I always wish that things didn't have to be this way for Ayame's sake but it's for the better. If everything was different, Ayame never would have fallen in love with me in the first place because I would still be in Konoha and Yoshi would be safe and sound with me. Unfortunately, there's no such thing as a perfect world. I wish there were someone else who could be there for Ayame and love her even after I'm gone."

Mari shrugged, leaning back as well and turning her head to gaze at the door, wondering if Ayame was okay. Knowing her, she would act as if it were the end of the world, after finding out that her true love would be short lived. "I want Ayame to be okay," she called over the winds, "She seems like the type of girl who if a man pushed her away, she could just up and walk away from him without a second thought and if it were any other guy, that would probably be the case. But she was stupid and decided to fall for the one guy she can't have, while everyone else falls all over her." She chuckled, shaking her head. "I should have expected that to happen with Ayame."

Ayame sat up from the warm cot beside Yoshi when the door opened and Mari stepped in first, Itachi just behind her. Ayame closed her eyes and curled up beside Yoshi again, her heart lurching in her chest. She'd always imagined that ten years from now, she and Itachi would have found a way to make things work and that they would settle down together and have their own children and live happily ever after. But no, of course that wasn't the case. Ten years from now, Itachi would be dead. The thought brought tears to her eyes as she buried her face in Yoshi's hair.

Yoshi was the first one to break the excruciating silence. "Father, what happened? How did I get here? Where is Tobi?" Ayame lifted her head a bit for a view over Yoshi's neck to see Itachi sitting cross-legged and he rested a hand on Yoshi's cheek, stroking her face with his thumb, an affectionate look coming over his eyes.

"All that matters is that you're safe now," he finally said, "You'll go home at the crack of dawn with Ayame and Mari and you'll all be safe." Ayame could feel Yoshi stiffen in her grasp.

"But father, will I ever see you again?" Yoshi's voice was beginning to crack a bit at this point as if she could cry at any given moment and Ayame took her hand protectively and squeezed it. If Yoshi cried, Ayame knew she would break down even more than she already had.

Itachi sighed, laying on his back on the hard floor beside Yoshi and taking her free hand, holding it between them and gazing up at the dimly lit ceiling. "I'm not sure… Maybe it's for the better if you don't see me again, Yoshi. All I've done since I came back is disrupt the peace in your life. You know I want you to be safe."

"I would rather be happy than safe."

Itachi turned his head to gaze at his daughter beside him. "That's a reckless thing to say, Yoshi." He lifted his free hand that wasn't grasping Yoshi's and brushed a free strand of hair out of her eyes before continuing to lay on his side, facing her. "Go to sleep, if you can. You'll be leaving in a few hours."

Yoshi whimpered as she curled up as close as she could to her father as she could while still in her cot and Ayame released her hand so that she didn't have to strain it. It was selfish to still be angry and upset with Itachi while she knew Yoshi was hurting, but she couldn't help it. Ayame rested her head against the soft cushion of the cot, still facing towards Yoshi, knowing she would willingly give her life for this girl who she wasn't even related to. The light in the darkness would be that Yoshi was okay and that should be what mattered, right? If something had happened to Yoshi, Ayame didn't know what she would do.

Ayame awoke to the feeling of Yoshi moving beside her and she opened her eyes to see that Itachi was carefully making an attempt to make his way out of Yoshi's arms and her heart lurched; would he be going now? She sat up, gazing at him as he got to his feet. "Itachi."

"Ayame, I'm glad you're awake. Could we speak outside?" He hadn't even glanced over at her. Ayame was surprised by his suggestion and got to her feet gingerly so that she didn't awake Yoshi. She glanced back to see that Mari was curled up on the cold ground, fast asleep. A pang of sympathy hit her as she realized that she had selfishly taken half of Yoshi's cot when she could have let Mari have it. Ayame followed Itachi outside to see that the sky was growing an orange-blue color and the sun was just peeking over the horizon. The storm from the night before had finally ceased and there was little to no wind; it was a very lovely sunrise. Itachi sat down in the grass and Ayame sat beside him, gazing up at him beside her, a hopeful glint in her eyes.

He took a deep breath, gazing at the sun rising just above the field in the distance. "I love you, Ayame," he finally broke the silence before continuing, "You're so beautiful and I hate it that you have to waste your everything on me. I don't think I deserve it. You deserve someone who can take care of you and spend time with you."

Ayame heaved a sigh, running her fingers through her hair and gazing up at the sky ahead, where the sun was just barely visible. "But unfortunately, I'm not in love with someone who can take care of me and spend time with me. I'm in love with this stupid boy who keeps pushing me away and making stupid decisions like fighting his younger brother and probably letting him win, which would mean he would be dying and he keeps calling himself dangerous, even though when we're alone I couldn't feel safer and I couldn't care less if people were after my head because of him, because I love him more than anybody else in this world, including myself. I would die for this stupid boy."

Itachi chuckled, touching a hand to his forehead, shaking his head as he closed his eyes. "You're unbelievable," he muttered playfully, before lifting his head and gazing at her, his hand returning to his lap. "If it helps anything, there's no one else in the world I would rather be with. Even when I'm pushing you away, which I should add that it's for your safety when I do push you away, it breaks my heart just as much as it does yours. I wish we could be together, but we can't and if one of us will die, it shouldn't be you. True love isn't dying together because we can't be together; true love is knowing that we would die for each other without a second thought to keep each other safe."

Ayame whimpered at the thought of him dying and met his gaze. Once he caught the look of despair in her eyes, he took her hand and firmly held it, holding it with both hands and rubbing her skin with both thumbs. "I always imagined we'd find a way," she said softly, "I always imagined that what we have for each other was too beautiful to be taken away forever. I always imagined that someday we'd have a life together and we would settle down together and the problems we have now would be temporary and we could have our own children and grow old together and die of natural causes. I never wanted you to be my knight in shining armor or anything; all I wanted was to be around you every day. I wanted to be able to fall asleep next to you and wake up next to you, I wanted to love you more than you could ever imagine, and I wanted to be yours and for you to be mine. Is that too much to ask for?"

Itachi lifted her hand and gave her a gentle kiss, closing his eyes and holding her hand against his mouth for a few moments as if he was savoring the taste and feel of her hand on his lips. When he finally lowered her hand, he gave her a loving, warm, long gaze before murmuring, "Unfortunately, it is too much to ask for in our situation. That's why if I had one wish, I would wish for you to move on as soon as I left you in the village. You're too beautiful to waste it on someone you may never see again. I really do love you… so much. That's why it kills me imagining you with anyone else but at the same time I want nothing more. More than anything, I want you happy."

Ayame slid her hand from between his and lifted it to touch his shoulder, leaning forward and pressing her lips firmly to his, savoring the taste of him as he did her hand, relishing in the fact that finally, he wasn't pushing her away for once. When she peeled away from him, she met his gaze, wide-eyed. "But the only way I can be happy is with you, Itachi," she murmured, "You're everything to me." She gazed into his eyes, letting him take her in, her expression and her eyes. She wanted him to remember the color of them, even to the last moment. "Itachi!" she exclaimed upon a thought coming into mind, "You could make me pregnant!"

He stifled a laugh, gazing at her as if it were a joke and he continued smiling, even when he gave her a firm, "No."

"Why not? Think about it, Itachi! You only have one daughter, and there are four Uchiha left in total. If we have one, we could carry on the Uchiha name even more." She felt excited with her new idea but his expression didn't waver as he shook his head. Ayame rolled her eyes, playfully smacking his chest. "I just want you to leave me something to remember you by."

Itachi sighed, gazing up at the sun generously lighting the land in the distance. "I don't regret having Yoshi, of course, but I was also young and foolish. Knowing now how Yoshi felt growing up without a father figure, I don't want another child to know the same feeling. Besides, I don't know when Sasuke will be strong enough to put up a fight, and I don't want to be tempted to go see another baby. I'll already be tempted enough to visit with you and Yoshi there, and I need to stay away. But…" he reached around, wrapping an arm around Ayame's waist, pulling her against him and he kissed her lips hungrily, "…we could just make love one last time."


End file.
